High School Reunion
by tamilnadu09
Summary: It's been 10 years since graduation- it's also been 10 years since Casey and Derek last spoke. And who would they be if not for misunderstandings and missed signals? Future fic. Dasey.
1. Ten Years

**A/N: a little fic for nostalgia's sake. LWD was my very first fandom when I started writing years ago. I recently happened to rewatch the series and remembered how much I loved it (and Dasey). And so this story was born. Enjoy. Most of my other D/C stories can be found on my livejournal. **

* * *

Casey stepped out of her Uber, her high heels clicking on the wet pavement as she turned around to shut the door. The driver rolled down his window, peering up at the school building behind her. "So, that's what you were all dressed up for."

She smiled a little, smoothing down the silky turquoise dress that clung to her figure. "I know, I know. Who wants to go back to high school?"

He shrugged, "Depends on what rung of the social ladder you were on, I suppose."

"I suppose," she agreed, thanking him and wishing him a good night. He tipped his hat to her and she watched as the car pulled away from the curb. Then she took a deep breath and turned back around to take in the view.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she felt her heart swoop and settle somewhere in her mid-region, and a dull thud filled her ears as her pulse kicked into overdrive.

_What had she been thinking? This was an absolutely terrible idea—one of her worst, really. _She had just reached halfway into her purse, her fingers closing around her cell phone to call back her Uber, when she heard footsteps come to a halt next to her.

"Casey?"

She whirled around, her eyes widening in surprise. "Sam!"

He grinned a familiar grin, but it wasn't the same laidback expression she remembered. She faltered, noticing his smile seemed strained. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Casey frowned slightly, eyeing the distance between them. "At our 10 year high school reunion? Why wouldn't I be here?"

Sam scratched the back of his neck, looking flustered. "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking. Come on, let's go inside."

"Okay?" She shook her head, lifting the hem of her dress as she followed silently behind him. She'd known tonight would be awkward—these things always were—but she hadn't expected the awkwardness to start quite so early.

He opened the door for her and as she turned to thank him, she happened to catch sight of who was sitting at the welcoming table in the lobby. "You've got to be kidding me."

Kendra looked up, perhaps having heard her, and her eyes widened. "I don't believe it," she said gleefully, "You two are back together!"

Casey paled, belatedly realizing that she _probably _shouldn't have walked through the doors with an ex-boyfriend.

"Huh?" Sam looked between Casey and Kendra. "Oh!" He chuckled at the look on Casey's face before placing a hand on the small of her back and steering her forward. "No, it's not like that. We just happened to get here at the same time." He scanned the table, looking over the name tags. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're running this thing?"

"But of course," Kendra preened, "Where else would I be?" She found both their tags and handed them over, her eyes jumping back and forth between them. "No plus ones for either of you?"

"My girlfriend couldn't make it," Sam replied, carefully pinning his tag onto his suit. "She has finals coming up in a couple weeks." At Kendra's raised eyebrow, he amended. "She's in law school."

"Hmm," Kendra turned to look at Casey, "What about you?"

"Um yeah," she stammered, her face heating. "My boyfriend's at work too. Night shift at the hospital."

Sam finally made eye contact, the surprise evident on his face. "You actually became a doctor?"

"Of course she did," Kendra squealed, clapping her hands together. "I never doubted you would."

"Thanks," Casey said, not knowing what to make of Sam's odd behavior. "I'm in my 3rd year of residency in New York."

"Wow," Sam blinked, "I thought—"

"Champagne?" A waiter stopped in front of them, holding out a tray.

"Thanks," Casey said distractedly, annoyed that they had been interrupted before Sam could finish his sentence. They each took a glass, both eyeing Kendra questioningly when she didn't.

Kendra smirked, getting to her feet.

Casey gasped audibly, nearly dropping her glass. "Oh my god, you're pregnant!"

"Surprise," Kendra giggled, her hand covering her _very _pregnant stomach. "Due next month," she added with a smile, "It's a girl."

"Wow," Sam repeated, "That's…uh, really great."

Casey bounced on her feet—Kendra's happiness was contagious. "Congratulations!"

The mother-to-be beamed, "Thanks, Casey." Then she leaned conspiratorially towards them, "It's Derek's."

At that, Sam spat out a mouthful of champagne and Casey _did _drop her glass.

Kendra howled with laughter, slapping the table. "Oh my god, you should've seen your faces. Please tell me someone caught that on camera! Anyone?" She looked around hopefully on her tiptoes.

"You…" Casey said weakly, dabbing uselessly at her dress, "You were…kidding?"

"Of course I was kidding! I mean can you imagine?" Kendra chortled, "I just wanted to see what your reactions would be." She flounced into her seat, a dreamy smile on her face. "Priceless."

Sam coughed, his cheeks flushed. "I think I've had enough excitement out here. Casey, ready to go in?"

"Hey, wait," Kendra reached out a hand to stop them, though she was still laughing. "How is Derek anyway?"

Casey's gaze immediately flitted away, her fingers pulling mindlessly at her hair. She looked at Sam, who was looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. She blew out a little puff of air, trying to relieve the tension in her shoulders. "I, ah, wouldn't really know."

The amusement died from Kendra's face, to be replaced with confusion. "What?"

"Yeah, we haven't really…spoken." Casey could feel her face heating as she determinedly looked at a spot over Kendra's shoulder. "Not for a long time."

"How long?" Kendra asked a little incredulously, "I mean, you guys _are _family. I assume you must at least see each other during the holidays."

Casey's throat felt dry and she looked around for her champagne, remembering too late that it was on the floor. "We had a bit of a…falling out."

Kendra opened her mouth but Sam cut in, stepping in front of Casey. "I'm gonna save us all a lot of time and questions," he said briskly. "They haven't spoken since the summer after graduation."

"But," and now Kendra looked truly incredulous, "That's not possible. You guys were—"

"I assure you it's quite possible," Casey said, turning away on the pretense of looking for the entrance to the main event. "Well, it was nice to see you Kendra. I think I'm going to head inside now."

And it was with great difficulty that she focused on putting one step in front of the other, trying to ignore the loud ringing in her ears.

"You okay?" Sam muttered, falling into step beside her. "Need some fresh air?"

"No," she straightened her shoulders, "I'm fine. Really." At his disbelieving look, she shrugged. "The family knows not to mention his name to me. I just wasn't expecting—I mean, well, obviously I was _expecting _to hear his name tonight, but I—"

"I think that's her!" A guy she didn't recognize stopped in front of her, holding his phone up to her face. "What do you think?"

His friend (someone else she didn't recognize), looked from the phone to Casey before nodding in confirmation. "Yeah, definitely her. The resemblance is uncanny."

"Um, excuse me?" Casey snapped, "What are you talking about?"

"Are you…" Guy #1 pulled his phone back towards him, squinting at something. "Klutzilla?"

"_Excuse me?" _

"You are, right? You're the first clue in the scavenger hunt."

"The _what?" _Casey growled, snatching his phone away from him. "Give me that. What are you looking—" The words died on her lips as she stared at a rather well drawn sketch of herself. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

"The scavenger hunt, hello?" Guy #2 shook his head, "They said you were supposed to be smart?"

"Who," Casey began in a deadly voice, taking a step towards them, "Is _they?" _

But even as she scrolled through the guy's phone, skimming some stupid rules about a stupid game, she _knew_. On some level, deep down, she knew. Who else would create a game targeting her most embarrassing moments from high school? Who else would revel in her humiliation? Who else would…

She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize the silence that had fallen around her until it was too late. At the sudden hush and Sam's sharp intake of breath, she froze. There was a flash of heat at her back and then someone was pulling the phone out of her grasp.

"I see you've found my game."

The odd ringing in Casey's ears intensified and she slowly, dreadfully, turned around.

It was the same smirk. The exact same.

Derek.

"You," she seethed, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. "You-"

"Me," he said brightly, the smirk becoming more pronounced. "Well, boys," he turned to address the two other people still standing there. "You've found the first clue. Proceed."

The first guy nodded eagerly. "Number 1, find Klutzilla. Number 2…write down a Klutzilla moment from tonight."

Casey spun on the spot, her hands balling into fists. "Joke's on you," she hissed, stepping up to Derek and jabbing him in the chest. "I haven't had a Klutzilla moment in years," she tipped her head up defiantly to meet his gaze, "And I don't plan to start tonight."

Derek stared back down at her. It took her a long moment to realize that her finger was still pressed into his chest and she hurriedly dropped her arm back to her side, her face flushing.

When she stepped back, however, she realized the smirk had slipped off his face and had been replaced by…something she didn't quite recognize.

"The champagne glass!" The guy's friend was saying excitedly, "She dropped her glass out there, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Guy #1 high-fived his friend as he typed something into his phone. "Onto the next clue!" They high fived again and disappeared into the crowd.

Casey watched them go in dismay. She crossed her arms, scowling at Derek. "You mean you _told _Kendra to say she was having your baby?"

Derek's eyes bugged out comically. "_WHAT!?" _

"It's why Casey dropped her glass," Sam explained hastily. "Kendra's idea of a little joke." Then he grinned, "How's it going, D?"

"Not bad," Derek met Casey's eyes over Sam's shoulder while they did one of those half hug half handshake rituals. "What about you? Where's Becca?"

"Work."

"Ah," Derek switched his attention back over to Casey. "And you?" he asked politely.

Casey saw red. "You," she said through gritted teeth, "Aren't supposed to be here."

"At _my _high school reunion?" Derek asked innocently, "Whatever do you mean, Case?"

She felt her heart stutter then resume in a jerky uneven pattern. She wondered briefly if she was going to pass out or something equally as embarrassing.

"Case?" Derek repeated, his eyes narrowing as he studied her expression. Casey's fingernails dug into her arm as she felt a flush creep up her neck. Because, _yes, _he knew her way too well.

"Don't call me that," she blurted, panicked. "Actually, just—don't talk to me at all." She waved a hand around them, "It's a big school, w-we don't even have to interact tonight. Gotta keep up with the status quo, right?" She laughed a little hysterically as she walked backwards, trying to put some space in between them.

"Casey—!"

A loud crash.

Glasses breaking.

Casey whirled around in horror as the waiter she'd bumped into dropped the tray he was carrying, and champagne glasses went splattering onto the floor. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

"Guys, check it out!" A voice crowed behind her, "It's Return of the Klutzilla."

"Derek, you—" She broke off in confusion as flashes went off in every which direction. She held a hand up in front of her face in mortification, "What the hell is happening!?"

"Scavenger hunt," Derek replied, his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the damage. "Bonus points if you get photographic evidence." He grinned at her, "Who says sequels aren't as good as the original?"

"I," she punctuated under her breath, "Am going to kill you."

His grin widened.

"Uh, what's going on here?"

Casey could have cried in relief. "Emily!" As she turned to greet her friend, she noted a displeased look cross Derek's face. But when she looked at him again, his expression was carefully blank.

"Show's over," Emily said loudly, moving in front of Casey to block her from view of everyone's smartphones. "Take a hike!"

"You heard the lady," Sheldon added, appearing next to Emily. "Leave, now!"

Casey stared at him in surprise, her gaze dropping to their joined hands and the ring on Emily's finger. "You're—"

"Engaged!" Emily squealed, throwing her arms around Casey. "I wanted to call you of course, but it had been so long and I knew I'd probably see you here and _of course _you're gonna be invited to the wedding—"

"Ahem."

Emily paused, and Casey could've sworn she saw dislike flash across her face. "Your whole family will be invited, of course." She turned to acknowledge Derek, pulling her phone out as she did. "29 years old and you still act like you're 16," she said flatly. "Scavenger hunt? Really?"

"Hey, if it wasn't for me, this reunion would be a total bust." Derek crossed his arms, sounding decidedly unfriendly. "You should be _thanking_ me."

Casey looked in between them, "Am I missing something here?"

"Usually are," Derek replied, not missing a beat.

"Come on Casey," Emily said, looking away from Derek. "Let's go get a drink and leave the _juveniles _to their juvenile games."

Derek's expression didn't change, but he met Casey's gaze as she began walking away. This time she recognized the look in his eyes. _A challenge. _

She shivered, turning her back on him and following Emily into the crowd. Sheldon smiled over at her, "How's New York treating you? Emily tells me you're almost done with your residency?"

"Yeah, it's been great," Casey said, a little taken aback that Emily had obviously told _him _about her but not the other way around. "So…when did you two…"

Sheldon looked at her quizzically.

Emily stopped at the makeshift bar and sighed. "Casey, look, don't be mad. I wasn't keeping it from you. It- it wasn't like a secret or something. I just wanted to tell you in person, not in a text or e-mail…we haven't even talked on the phone in…" She shrugged, throwing her arms out a little dramatically, "Years!"

"I'm not sure what you want me to—"

Emily sighed again, effectively cutting her off. "Sheldon and I have been engaged for 2 years. The wedding is this summer."

Casey's mouth dropped open. "2 years!?"

Sheldon frowned, "You didn't know?"

"I'll explain later, honey," Emily said under her breath. Then she smiled at Casey, continuing their conversation as if nothing was wrong. "Sheldon's moving right up the political ladder," she beamed proudly, "He might even become prime minister one day."

"That's…great," Casey tried to smile back, feeling her cheeks sting with the fakeness of it all. "And how's your gossip column going?"

"Oh I'm more of a journalist now," Emily replied, linking arms with Sheldon. "I cover all the juicy scandals in the political world." She grinned, "And it's quite the scandalous world, let me tell you."

"Great," Casey repeated, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in her chest. Even with her busy schedule, she'd always tried to keep Emily in the loop about _her _life. Apparently asking for some quid pro quo was too much to expect.

"Casey?"

"You know, I think I…I need some air," she stood up hurriedly, tripping over her dress but—thankfully—not falling. "I'll be right back." She pushed through the crowd, ignoring Emily and Sheldon as they called her name. She spied the nearest exit and shoved past more people, gratefully slipping past the double doors and ending up in a nearly empty hallway.

She didn't really recognize it, but who would remember what their high school looked like after 10 years anyway? She sighed, her fingers trailing against the cool wall. "Why did I even come back here?"

"First sign of insanity," a voice replied from behind her, "Talking to yourself."

Casey paused, her eyes closing. "Go away, Derek. Remember we agreed we don't have to interact tonight?"

"_We_ did not agree to anything of the sort," he corrected, his voice coming closer. "You suggested it and I proceeded to ignore you." His voice was in front of her now and she opened her eyes in dismay. "Like old times, am I right?"

She squinted at him, "You've taken one too many hockey pucks to the head if you think _anything _about tonight is going to be like old times."

As she moved to brush past him, he grabbed her wrist. "Case, wait." She stopped, unable to hide the shudder that went through her body at his touch. Derek didn't let go, but his grip tightened. "Do you really hate me that much?"

His voice was low, and he was much too close. She met his gaze, "Derek, let go."

He dropped her arm, but didn't move away. His eyes were scanning her face, "What's wrong?"

Casey looked at him incredulously, "What's _wrong? _A lot of things, Derek! Starting with that stupid scavenger hunt and ending with the fact that you're NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE."

She hadn't realized she was yelling until her voice echoed dismally down the hallway. She took a startled step away from him, angry at herself for losing control.

He was giving her a strange look. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Uh, because it's the truth?" When he only continued to look at her blankly, she pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Derek, we haven't spoken in almost 10 years. We go home on different holidays and the family knows not to mention your name to me or vice versa. I was _assured _that you would not be attending this."

He opened his mouth and then closed it. "By who?"

"What?"

"Who told you I wasn't coming?"

"Marti. Obviously."

"Thought you said the family didn't mention my name to you."

Casey sniffed, "Not in so many words. I asked if it would be _safe _for me to attend and she said it would be no problem. That there'd be no _unpleasant surprises." _

Derek stared at her for a beat too long. "Marti didn't know," he said abruptly, turning away from her. "The family didn't know I was planning on attending."

"Well why wouldn't you check first and see if I was attending then!?"

He tilted his head at her, "What, you mean call you?"

Casey laughed out loud at that. "No, you _imbecile. _Why didn't you check with the family before coming?"

"Oh," Derek tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Right, that would be because I don't care?"

She pursed her lips.

"Besides, what fun would the scavenger hunt be without a Klutzilla sighting?"

Casey could feel her frustration rise dangerously close to boiling point. "I'm not—not some joke for you to create a game out of! Emily was right about you, you'll never grow up!"

She made to storm past him, but he twisted around, his arms slamming on the lockers on either side of her. His eyes glinted dangerously, "Emily said that, did she? So the 'Derek doesn't exist' rule doesn't apply to your conversations with _her_?"

"I never pretended you didn't exist," Casey snapped, glaring up at him. "I'm not _you._"

Derek's arms lowered a fraction of an inch. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Casey huffed, "Honestly, I don't know what kind of revisionist history you've created in your head." She gestured between them, "_This? _This is all your fault."

"Most things are," he said blandly, "But what are you referring to, specifically?"

"Unbelievable," she muttered under her breath, shoving past his arm and tottering down the hall. "Can't even have one conversation without—"

"Fine, run away," Derek called, all his teasing gone. "It's what you do best."

Casey stopped, feeling the blood drain from her face. She turned around slowly. She wasn't sure what expression was on her face, but she felt a flicker of satisfaction when Derek subconsciously took a corresponding step backwards.

"You have a lot of nerve," she said in a low voice that nonetheless carried down the hall. "To accuse _me_ of running away."

Derek looked up and down the hallway warily. "Let's go outside and talk."

Casey crossed her arms, "No."

He groaned, "Come on, Case."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

He looked briefly confused, "Your name?"

She didn't budge. "You've never actually been stupid. Don't pretend to be now."

Derek sighed. "Okay, _Casey."_ He paused, gauging her reaction. "Can we go outside and talk now?"

"I'm not going anywhere with—"

"Please."

She gritted her teeth as her heart gave a particularly painful tug. _Damn him. _ But even as she stared at him, contemplating her decision, she suddenly realized something. For the first time in her life, Derek Venturi looked unsure of himself. In fact, he actually looked _nervous. _

"Fine," she said loudly, "Let's go outside." She began to make her way towards the doors, but he shook his head. "What?"

"This way," he said, gesturing towards the stairs. "Trust me?"

"Right," she scoffed, toeing off her heels and rolling her eyes. "Trust _you._" But she didn't object, and for that he flashed her a grateful smile.

By the time they reached the final flight of stairs and walked out onto the roof, Casey realized she was very much out of shape. Her lungs burning, she glared at Derek who seemed perfectly fine. "Stupid hockey," she muttered.

"I don't actually play hockey anymore," he said, suddenly seeming to find the night sky extremely interesting. "Not since I graduated. Thanks, by the way," he added, "Not attending my graduation was a terrific gift."

Casey didn't rise to the bait. He hadn't been to either her university or med school graduations, something that he surely knew. "What do you do then?" she asked, trying to sound uninterested. "Finally fulfill your goal of being a trophy husband?"

It was too dark for her to clearly discern his expression when he looked at her. "Director," he said after a moment, his voice curt. Then he stepped slightly to the side, and his face moved out of shadow. But his gaze was so intense that she broke eye contact almost immediately. "And I'm not married." He tacked the last part on in an offhand manner, but she could tell from the stiff set of his shoulders that he wasn't as blasé as he was pretending to be.

"A director," Casey repeated, not bothering to hide her surprise. "Your dream." Then she smiled in spite of herself, "Congratulations, Derek. I'm proud of you."

He shook his head once, warning flashing across his gaze. "You don't get to do that."

"Do what?"

Derek heaved a sigh, looking up at the sky again. When he finally glanced back at her, the expression on his face twisted into something that looked almost wistful. "You look…good."

"Is this a prank?" Casey asked suspiciously, "Are you going to throw me off the roof?" Her eyes narrowed, "Wait, you're going to leave me up here and lock the door, aren't you?"

He grinned, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Tempting," he said, leaning against wall. "But that's kid stuff."

Casey eyed the edge of the roof, not liking the way he was leaning against the wall. "As if your little scavenger hunt was _so _mature."

Derek gave a short laugh, but he didn't sound the least bit amused. "Can't you see a stunt for what it is? So much for being a keener."

"What?"

He shook his head, his gaze shifting away from her. "Never mind."

Casey tapped her foot impatiently. "Derek, it's cold up here. Just say what you want to say so we can go back inside and get this night over with."

He still wasn't facing her, but after a long moment he finally spoke. "We were supposed to go to university together. We had all these plans, and then you…didn't follow any of them."

Casey waited expectantly, but he didn't continue.

"So you're mad at me for…" she didn't have words and sputtered to a stop. When the silence grew thick, she said haltingly. "You were mad at me for following _my_ dreams?"

"Dancing in New York was your dream?" Derek snorted, "Spare me, Casey. You've always wanted to become a doctor, ever since I met you. You always had a plan, you always knew exactly what you wanted to do."

"And I am a doctor!" she snapped, her voice wavering—and she hated it, hated that he was going to make her cry. "I sang and danced and I had actual _fun _in New York before I started medical school. I actually _lived my life_, Derek! I thought you would've been happy for me! I thought you would've, I don't know, approved of something I did for once! Not—not shut me out!"

He finally turned to look at her, and his expression was stormy. "In New York," he said. "You _moved _to New York and then you STAYED THERE."

"So?" She started forward in anger, "You could have visited! Everyone else did!"

"Yeah?" He was shaking his head, "Like you visited me at university? Like you came to any of my hockey games? Like you came to my graduation?"

Casey faltered, because Derek Venturi didn't _do _feelings and right now he sounded almost…hurt. "I was…" she swallowed, because she'd been about to say 'busy' and she had a feeling that was definitely not going to go over well.

But Derek was staring at her and she had a feeling he knew what she had been about to say anyway, because he always did.

"Busy?" He asked belligerently, "You were busy?"

Casey shut her eyes, because she knew that wasn't fair. "I didn't say that."

"But you wanted to."

"Making it in the big city isn't…it wasn't easy, Derek! It was a lot of work and…and then I started college and med school and then…" She let out a shuddering gasp and fell silent as the tears streamed down her face.

She was standing close enough to Derek that she saw his jaw tighten. "Don't do that," he said quietly.

"Well now you've ruined my makeup," she sniffed, "I hope you're happy."

"Haven't been," he answered unexpectedly, "For about 10 years, give or take."

Casey blinked at him, unable to hide her shock. "Derek Venturi talking about his feelings? Who are you and what have you done with my brot—" She stopped, stumbling over her words as Derek looked at her sharply.

"Can't say it, can you?" He gave her a rueful smile, "Because we never were family." He scuffed his shoe back and forth along the ground, "Thought we were friends-adjacent, but turns out I was wrong about that, too."

"Friends-adjacent?"

Derek looked up, an odd expression on his face. "Well we were never just _friends._ Not really."

Casey opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. The worst part was that she couldn't correct him. She'd certainly never loved him like family and she'd never thought of him as a friend either. "I…just because we weren't…it doesn't mean I didn't—" She broke off, frustrated. "What do you mean you were wrong?"

He shrugged, the movement too stiff to be entirely casual. "Well I'm pretty sure ignoring someone for 10 years doesn't fall into the friends _or _friends-adjacent category."

"You can't blame me for this," Casey whispered. But in the dark stillness of the roof, she might as well have been yelling. "You stopped first. You never—and New York was—and I was _alone_!"

Derek pushed himself off the wall, giving her an incredulous look. "That was your choice."

"And I had to stick with it, didn't I?"

He had been coming towards her, but now he stopped. "You…"

She was breathing fast now. "I made the decision to dance for a year, I convinced everybody it was the right thing to do. I packed up my _entire life _and moved to New York. I had to…I had to stick with it, don't you see? I couldn't…" Her shoulders began to shake from the effort of holding back her tears. "I couldn't let everyone down! I couldn't be a _disappointment_!"

Derek's expression had softened. "Casey…" He sighed, looking back down at the ground. "I thought you said you were having fun."

"I loved what I was doing, but…" She glanced up at him quickly—found that he was staring intently at her—and quickly looked away again. "It's not fun when there's no one to…" She trailed off.

"Share things with?" His voice was hard. "Kind of like being alone at university?"

"No," Casey snapped, suddenly angry with him for refusing to understand. "At least you could drive back to see the family any time you wanted! At least you could see Sam and Ralph on the weekends! At least y-you had somebody!"

Derek frowned.

"I was alone, like literally totally alone!"

"Your dad—"

"Was useless! He's a workaholic, I barely ever saw him and he never came to any of my shows and—"

Anger flashed across Derek's face. "What?"

Casey waved a hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter. I didn't care. Not about that." _Not about him_.

They stared at each other silently. A brisk breeze swept by them and Casey shivered, whether from the cold or from Derek's expression, she wasn't exactly sure. He began to shrug off his suit jacket, "Here—"

Casey was already stepping back, shaking her head. "No, it's fine. I'm just going to go inside."

Derek paused in the act of taking off his coat, looking confused. "What?"

"We talked, right? That's what you wanted." She turned away, "We should get back to the reunion. You know, the _actual_ reason we're here?"

She had just reached the roof access door when he spoke again. "Well, it's not why _I'm _here."

"Spare me, Derek. It probably took you a week to put together that stupid scavenger hunt, you've clearly been planning this for a while."

He was walking towards her now, his eyes blazing. "I did that for you."

Casey took a step back, swallowing a yelp when she felt her back hit the door behind her. "Wait, you knew I was coming?"

"Preppy McPreperson? Miss a school event of this magnitude?" Derek stopped in front of her, his voice mocking. "Of course I knew you were coming." He paused, "In fact, I was counting on it."

She bit her lip, "So you only came here to humiliate me."

"What?"

"The scavenger hunt, Derek."

"Honestly, _Case,_ if you don't know why I wasted my time and energy on that little project then maybe you don't know me as well as you think."

She blinked up at him, startled at the change in his tone. He sounded almost angry. "But I don't know you," she said, deciding that if he was angry then she might as well get out everything she wanted to say to him. "Because the Derek that _I know _wouldn't ignore me for years and then show up out of the blue and pretend everything is okay!"

He was in her face now, his jaw clenched. "Nobody said everything was okay!"

She had to tip her head back to look up at him. He was standing so close that she could feel his body brush against hers every time he took a breath. She felt goosebumps erupt along her arms and she shivered again, remembering why she was standing at the door in the first place. "I have to go," she murmured, letting her gaze fall away from him. "I can't do this."

But when she turned away to pull the door open, the knob wouldn't turn. She pulled at it for a couple seconds, unable to believe this was actually happening. Then she whirled around and shrieked, "You mean you _did _get us locked out up here?"

Derek didn't answer her immediately. He looked like he was internally debating something, but then he shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out a key. "We're not locked out."

Casey stared at him in consternation. "So you just _happened _to have a set of keys for the school lying around?"

"I stole them from the principal's office," he replied lightly, tossing the keys in the air. "When we were in high school."

"And you _kept _them!?"

Derek shrugged.

"Why did you even need—you know what, forget it, it's none of my business!" Casey tried to grab the keys mid-air but he merely moved a step back. "Derek, open this door right now. Why are you shaking your head? You can't _keep _me up here! This—this is kidnapping!"

He cracked a grin at that, "Always the drama queen. Glad to see some things haven't changed."

She took a deep breath, willing herself to speak calmly. "Derek, I swear if you don't—"

"Relax," he reached out to grasp her shoulders, and she suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu. "You can leave whenever you want."

She folded her arms.

"Okay, so you can leave when we're done talking." He held out his jacket to her, "You might need this."

She grabbed it angrily, but didn't put it on. "I have nothing left to say to you."

He scoffed, "Since when?"

Casey mentally counted down from ten. When she opened her eyes, Derek was giving her a strange look. "It's a stress relieving exercise," she told him haughtily, "Paul taught me that to deal with the likes of _you."_

Derek's posture relaxed and he moved towards her, once again invading her personal space. In fact, he was so close that she had currently lost all coherent ability to think.

"To deal with me, huh?" He chuckled in her ear, and she felt his breath warm against her neck. "Did it ever work?"

"No," she squeaked. She suddenly realized she was still holding his jacket and she shoved it back into his arms. "I-I don't need this after all."

He took it from her, looking amused. "I thought you were cold." She didn't reply. He smirked at her, clearly taking joy in knowing he was making her uncomfortable. "You know," he added thoughtfully, "I can think of some _other _stress relieving exercises you can do." He leaned towards her, and this time his lips brushed her ear. "My ways are _much _more fun."

Casey sucked in a sharp breath. Derek had always been overly flirtatious—but never to her. She glanced at him and he grinned. "You're a jerk," she muttered.

"Am I, now?" He rocked back on his heels, "And why do you say that?"

"Because you're being _mean_. "

"Drop the innocent act, Case," he leaned back towards her, "We're not sixteen anymore."

"I know _I'm_ not," she shot back, cringing inwardly as she did. Pretty weak as far as comebacks went.

Derek raised one eyebrow, "A 10 year break from me and your conversational skills take a 180 degree nosedive. I always knew you needed me."

Casey looked at him in disbelief. He seemed to realize what he'd said a second later and he held up both hands in defense, "I didn't mean—"

"Forget it, Derek," she cut him off, "It doesn't matter. I needed you and you weren't there. And before you say anything, yes, I know I wasn't there for you either. I was angry and…" She shrugged, "I guess I thought you didn't want anything to do with me after all."

There was a brief moment of silence. "You know, for a keener, you're kind of an idiot." He suddenly reached out and grabbed the strap of her dress, tugging her forward.

"Hey," she protested as she tripped over her heels and went stumbling into him. _"De-rek!"_

He caught her around the waist and a genuine smile lit up his features. "I've only been waiting all night to hear you scream my name."

And the crazy thing was, she knew him well enough to know when he was telling the truth. "The scavenger hunt," she suddenly realized what he'd been trying to tell her all night, in his own way. "It was a prank."

He was still holding her, his forehead touching hers. But when she glanced up at him, his eyes were closed. "Case," he whispered, "I missed you." And then he opened his eyes, and her breath caught. His eyes were dark, darker than she'd ever seen them.

"I missed you, too," she found herself saying. And she also found herself stepping closer to him, closing the tiny gap between them until their bodies were molded together. "I thought you didn't do hugs."

"You're right," he said, lowering his head towards hers. "I don't." His breath hitched just as his lips brushed lightly against hers. It was the barest of kisses. Hell, it probably didn't even qualify as a kiss in the truest definition of the word. And yet it still sent Casey's head spinning.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered, her fingers tightening into his shirt—pulling him impossibly closer.

"Not giving you a hug," he said a little hoarsely.

They stared at each other.

Casey frowned, "Is that it? _That's _what all the girls in high school couldn't shut up about? Honestly, I'm a little disappoi—"

Derek laughed, tightening his arms around her. "If you wanted me to kiss you," he teased, "All you had to do was ask." And then his mouth closed over hers, soft and insistent and—addictive. Casey's head fell back as his mouth swept down her neck, his hands sliding down the silk of her dress and lingering on her curves. Her pulse raced and she clutched at Derek to keep from falling over.

"Derek."

"Can't talk," he murmured against her skin, "Busy."

She giggled, because that was something that was just _so _Derek to say. "Come on," she said halfheartedly, "Do you really want to hook up on the roof of our…high school?"

"Come on Case," he whispered, a familiar smirk sliding into place. "Don't you ever want to live a little dangerously?"

She raised an amused eyebrow at that. "That line didn't work then and it won't w—"

"_Didn't_ work then?" Derek interrupted, grinning broadly. "Because I seem to remember it working just fine."

Her cheeks heated, her mouth dropping open in belated realization. "You _wanted _us to fight that day."

"No," he refuted immediately, "I wanted you to loosen up and not tell the 'rents about my party. If we happened to get locked in the bathroom and get into a very…physical…fight, then that was just pure dumb luck."

Casey crossed her arms, but she ruined the effect by laughing as Derek tickled her side. "Stop it!"

"Okay, okay," he raised both hands, "Truce?"

She considered him for a second. _So he thought she didn't know how to live dangerously? Maybe she should teach him a lesson…_

Mind made up, she reached up to the zipper on her dress and slowly pulled it down, keeping eye contact with Derek the entire time. His hands lowered, his eyes widening in a combination of shock and disbelief. "Case?" he asked, his voice sounding oddly high pitched. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Hmm?" She pulled her arms through, letting the dress fall to a silky pool at her feet.

Derek looked at her wildly. "Am I dreaming?"

"I don't know," Casey tilted her head at him, "Do I normally star in your dreams?"

He didn't answer her.

"Wow, the great Derek Venturi actually struck speechless," she placed her hands on her hips, trying to ignore the fact that she was nearly naked on the roof of her high school—with none other than the guy who had taken every opportunity to…

_To get her attention_.

Struck by the rather simple revelation, Casey gaped at him. "You never hated me."

Derek blinked, finally picking up his jaw from the floor. "What?"

"Everything you did, all the pranks you pulled, you were just…"

"Pulling your pigtails," Derek finished, "Yeah. Don't tell me you only just figured that out?" When she didn't reply, he shook his head. "I was kidding before but now I actually am concerned. Where's the real Casey?"

She gathered her thoughts long enough to say absentmindedly, "And which Casey would that be?"

"The _keener_," he emphasized, "The one who would never actually consider hooking up with her step brother on her high school rooftop."

"Oh," she said lightly, "That Casey left the building when she saw you." She carefully stepped over her dress, choosing to keep her heels on when she saw Derek's eyes drop to her stilettos. "You always did make me agree to do stupid things."

His gaze was roaming her body as she walked towards him. "What things?" he asked hoarsely.

"Throwing parties, sneaking out of the house, cheating on exams, pulling a prank on the _principal,"_ she counted on her fingers, "Should I continue?" Derek looked like he was having great difficulty focusing on the conversation, and she hid a smile. "Derek?"

"I never made you do those things," he replied distractedly, "But sure sounds like a good time."

She paused, recognizing that he was right. "Fine," she admitted begrudgingly. "Without you, I…" She frowned, "I guess what I'm trying to say is—"

"We had fun," Derek's voice was soft, almost a purr. She looked at him, surprised to feel something inside her clench in response.

"Yeah," she said breathlessly, "We did." Then she slid up to him, grabbing his wrist and swinging him around so his back hit the roof door. "Enough talking, Venturi."

He grinned, lowering his face to hers. "No complaints here, McDonald." And she could feel the frustration he poured into the kiss—the regret, the anger, the years of pent up hormones.

Her fingers fumbled as she hastily unbuttoned his shirt, her nails scraping against his skin. He sucked in a breath, catching her hand as she made to push his shirt off his shoulders. "Are we really doing this?"

Casey faltered, "Do you not want to?"

Derek's hand slipped lower on her back and pulled her into his hips. "Trust me," he said in a low voice, "I _want _to." She flushed, feeling the evidence of exactly how much he wanted this. But he continued, "I just don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you to do something that you can add to your little list of 'stupid things' that I've somehow driven you to."

She held a hand up to his cheek, her heart squeezing a little. "If I remember correctly," she said softly, "This was my idea."

"I know," he murmured, "I guess I rubbed off on you after all. Despite my father's best intentions."

Casey laughed. "It's a 2 way street, Venturi," she said, nibbling his lip. "You became a better person because of me, admit it."

He rolled his eyes, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the way his head fell back against the door as she continued her ministrations.

"Case?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I might be in love with you, a little bit."

She paused, looking up at him but his eyes were closed.

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you open your eyes, please?"

"I'd rather not."

"Derek."

He sighed and opened one eye, "I don't _do_ feelings, Case."

"Sounds like you kinda just did." She rested her palms against his chest, feeling the wind whip through her hair. "Do you want to know when I realized I was in love with you, too?" He opened his other eye, a mixture of relief and curiosity flashing across his face. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "It was when my life fell apart without you in it."

She could see the regret on the tip of his tongue, and she quickly darted forward to kiss him. "No," she whispered against his lips, "No apologies. We're both here now, that's all that matters."

"For the record, I _am _sorry," Derek said. "I never thought it would last this long, you know? I was so angry at you for leaving and I just wanted to get over it, and I couldn't. And then when you didn't reach out either, I would just feel…hurt all over again." He buried his face into her neck, and she realized with a start that they were actually _hugging_. "I just got so tired of being angry with you. I don't want to feel that way anymore."

"For the record, I'm also sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't realize what you were going through, I was just wrapped up in my own misery and…I don't know, I was jealous."

Derek pulled back at that, looking confused. "Jealous of what?"

She shrugged.

"_Casey." _

"I convinced myself that you didn't bother reaching out because you were too busy dating every girl at university."

His gaze shifted away guiltily.

"De-rek!"

"What?" he said defensively, "I was hurting, okay? I needed the distraction."

"And was the weekly stream of girls during high school also a _distraction?" _

"Yes," he replied, "A distraction from not being able to have you."

Casey shook her head, throwing her hands up dramatically. "Why do I find that charming? It isn't even, not really."

Derek grinned, "Because you're in love with me."

"Shut up and kiss me, Venturi."

He instantly swooped down to capture her lips. "Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

***_intended to be a one shot but has the potential to continue if people would like! be sure to drop a review and let me know your thoughts! xo_**


	2. Three months

**A/N:** **your reviews were so sweet that you convinced me to add a couple more chapters to this fic :) **

* * *

Derek had somehow twisted them around so that her back was pressed against the door instead. One hand was entangled in her hair, the other resting on her hip, holding her tightly against him. As he deepened the kiss, her leg moved of its own volition, wrapping itself around his waist. She slid one hand down his chest, her fingers coming to rest on his belt buckle. She tugged at it slightly and Derek made a sound deep in his throat, "Case..."

It was perhaps lucky that she chose this moment to pull back and look at him questioningly, because in the sudden silence they both heard it—the clanging of footsteps coming up the stairs. "Oh my god," Casey hissed, throwing a panicked look over to where her dress fluttered innocently in the wind, several feet away. "Someone's coming!"

Derek was already grabbing his jacket and shirt off the ground and he hastily began throwing them on. He looked at her in exasperation, "Well, don't just stand there!"

Casey's fingers trembled as she hurriedly pulled on her dress, her face already flushing with embarrassment. _How the hell were they going to explain this?_ She felt something brush her back and jumped, but it was only Derek. He gave her a quizzical look as he zipped up the back of her dress, making shushing noises. "Chillz, Case, it's gonna be okay."

She turned to look at him the same time he looked her over. "Your hair," they said at the same time. Before she could do anything about it, however, the roof door swung open and Derek stepped in front of her, running his hand through his hair as he did.

And the absolute last person she ever wanted to see walked onto the roof, accompanied by a brunette she didn't recognize.

"Truman," Derek said flatly, not bothering to keep the disdain out of his voice. "You really thought showing up to a high school reunion where you were _probably_ the most hated student to ever walk across the stage was a good idea?"

Truman, for his part, looked extremely surprised to see them. Whether or not it was an act, she wasn't sure. His gaze jumped between them, clearly unsure what to make of their presence on the roof. "Casey," he greeted finally, "It's been too long." He paused, turning to Derek. "As for you...can't say it's been long enough."

Derek stiffened, his eyes narrowing. "Likewise."

Casey looked between them with a frown, but they were too busy scowling at each other to notice.

"Um, hi, I'm Sierra," the brunette said brightly, "And you are?"

"Leaving," Derek answered curtly, breaking the staring contest he was having with Truman. "Let's go, Case."

"Hey, wait," Truman stepped sideways so he was blocking the exit. "I actually was hoping I'd run into you tonight, Casey. Of course I didn't think you'd be on the roof…" He shot a speculative glance at Derek, "What were you guys doing up here anyway?"

Casey opened her mouth to explain, without having any idea of what she was going to say. But then Derek forced out a sarcastic laugh, rolling his eyes. "Let's just say my dear step sister didn't share my..._viewpoints..._on the scavenger hunt."

Truman smirked knowingly, "Came up here to let you have it, huh? Some things never change."

Casey crossed her arms. "Yeah, I'd say," she said mulishly, "Where's Vicky? You know, your _fiancé?" _

Derek choked, then began coughing. "His _what_ now?"

"I'm a friend of Vicky's, actually," Sierra said, smiling at all of them as if she didn't recognize the open hostility in the air. "She had to work tonight. How do you know her?"

"I'm her cousin," Casey replied, at the same time that Derek said disbelievingly, "Just a friend?"

Sierra looked between them uncertainly, her smile faltering for the first time.

Truman shot a glare in Derek's direction. "I see you still haven't learned how to mind your own business."

Derek fell uncharacteristically silent.

Truman stared him down for one more moment before turning to Casey. "I ran into Sam downstairs. He's the one who told me you were around." At Casey's look of annoyance, he immediately held up both hands defensively. "Don't worry, he told me you already had a boyfriend and that I shouldn't get any ideas." He chuckled, "Of course he didn't know I was already engaged, but—"

Casey had stopped listening, however. She felt an odd prickling sensation at the back of her neck and then felt a sudden wave of heat, followed by cold. She didn't dare look at Derek.

But in the periphery of her vision, she still saw the way he tensed at Truman's words and turned to look at her sharply.

"Wh-why were you looking for me?" Casey asked loudly, her heart thudding dully in her chest. "I don't have anything to say to you, not after what you did."

"I wanted to apologize," Truman said, "In person." He moved forward, his hand stretched out to touch her shoulder. Derek cleared his throat pointedly and Truman's hand fell back to his side. "You didn't deserve what I did, Casey. And I'm sorry for being a jerk."

Casey stared back at him impassively. "And which bit, exactly, are you apologizing for?"

Truman scratched the back of his neck, at least having the decency to look ashamed. "The text," he muttered.

"Oh," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "You mean the break up text you sent me exactly one month after I moved to New York? That text?"

Sierra gasped, "That's awful, Truman! Does Vicky know about this?"

He ignored her. "I was a jerk, Case." She involuntarily flinched at his use of her nickname, but he didn't appear to notice. "I was stupid and selfish. I know you gave me more chances than I deserved, and I should've treated you better."

"Yes," she agreed blandly, "You should have. Is that all?"

Truman looked rather taken aback. "I suppose so." He frowned, "Am I forgiven, then?"

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Truman, rest assured that _I _will not be attending your wedding so whether I forgive you or not—which I don't—doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Oh come on, Casey," he cajoled, his voice taking on a distinctly whiny quality. "We're going to be family—"

Casey held up a hand, disgust marring her features. "Let's get one thing straight, Truman. You might be marrying my cousin, but you and I? We'll never be _family_. We're not friends and I regret the fact that I even have to call you an _ex_. The day that I decided to give you a second chance is probably one of the biggest _mistakes _I've ever made in my—"

"Alright," Truman interrupted loudly, looking annoyed. "I get it, alright?" He sighed, "Casey, can't we work something out? Vicky will kill me if I don't fix things before the wedding."

Casey paused, several things clicking into place. "You mean Vicky put you up to this?"

"Obviously," he snorted, "As if I would willingly seek you out, especially after what Derek—" He stopped abruptly. "I mean after, uh…"

Casey turned to look at Derek, but he was too busy glaring at Truman to notice. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he answered, his voice laced with warning.

Truman made a noise of disbelief. "You mean she doesn't know what you did?"

"Truman, this would be a good time for you to shut the hell up."

He squinted at Derek a little. "I never took you for the modest type. Or is that only when you're being protective of Casey?"

Derek started forward, rage etched across his expression. Casey glanced down at his white knuckles and instinctively stepped in front of him, her palms against his chest. He barely spared her a glance, "Out of my way, Casey."

"No," she stood her ground, shoving against his chest. He stumbled back a step but otherwise didn't move.

"Your…step brother decided to pay me a little visit after we broke up," Truman offered, leaning back against the wall, his arms folded. "Gave me a nice shiny black eye."

Casey froze, her head swiveling around to look back at Derek. The anger hadn't faded from his expression.

"You must've forgotten the conditions under which I didn't give you _two _black eyes," he growled. "Oh right, I think one of them was _you shall never speak of this again_. Wasn't that it?"

Truman replied, but Casey wasn't listening. "How did you know?" she asked Derek in confusion, reaching out to grasp his wrist in case he decided to attack Truman again. "I never told you."

His gaze snapped to hers. "Of course you didn't tell me. You didn't tell me _anything_ remember?"

"How did you find out, then?"

"Afraid I can't divulge that information. Promises and all that."

"My mom?"

Derek snorted under his breath.

"Then who?"

He only shook his head, looking away from her.

Casey was seized by a sudden terrible idea. "Lizzie?"

It was only because she was still holding his wrist that she felt his response to her question. His pulse raced under her thumb.

Derek looked at her quickly, rolling his eyes when he saw her expression. "Great."

She tugged him sharply towards her, having by now forgotten all about Truman behind her. "Lizzie asked you to go beat Truman up?" she demanded, "Are you kidding me?"

Derek pulled his wrist out of her grasp. "She didn't _ask _me to do anything."

Casey stared at him, her chest constricting rather painfully. _He'd been furious with her for leaving…and yet he'd still gone out of his way to go to bat for her_. She shook her head once, still reeling. "I can't believe you did that for me."

"God, you two are dense, you know that?" Truman snapped.

Derek tore his gaze away from her to glare at Truman. "I'm sorry, are you still here? Haven't you done enough damage?"

Truman considered him, looking thoughtful. "Not yet, I think." He looked at Casey, "Do you want to know what I told Derek that day?"

This time, Derek nearly shoved Casey aside. "I'm warning you—"

Casey grabbed his arm at the last second, and stumbled forward when he didn't stop. "Derek, let's go," she dug her nails into his arm when he didn't appear to be listening to her. She bit her lip, using the ace up her sleeve. "Derek, _please_."

At that, he heaved a groan and turned towards her. "Fine," he muttered unwillingly, allowing her to steer him towards the exit. "Truman, give Vicky my condolences," he called over his shoulder. "And don't bother sending either of us a wedding invitation."

Casey glanced back at Truman as they opened the door. "Don't take this the wrong way," she said pleasantly, "But I hope I never see you again." Then she pulled the door firmly shut behind her. "Think they have the key?" she whispered to Derek.

He smirked, "Somehow I doubt it."

"Good," she said decidedly, following him down the stairs. When they made it down one flight, she grumbled to herself as she bent down to take off her heels. Derek was walking ahead of her but he stopped when he realized she had fallen behind. "One sec," she called. "Oh shit—"

One of the heels slipped out of her hand and went tumbling through the rails. It thudded dismally as it fell down 5 flights of stairs, landing somewhere in the darkness far below.

Casey gasped, peering over the railing in horror.

Derek hadn't moved, but he rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation. "I feel like this calls for a Cinderella joke," he said as she reluctantly made her way to him. "But the ugly stepsister bit seems a little too on the nose, don't you think?"

"Hilarious," she said dryly, crossing her arms. "Not a word."

He made a show of zipping his lips shut, but she could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"Well," she shifted, "Are you coming with me?"

Derek immediately straightened, "Where?"

"To…" she waved a hand vaguely down the stairs, "The basement? To get my shoe?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"They were expensive!"

Derek pushed himself off the wall, and she let out a little gasp as his face appeared inches before her. "Let's just get out of here," he whispered enticingly in her ear, his fingers running down her arm. "And finish our…previous activities."

Casey shivered.

She felt Derek grin against her neck. "Should I take that as a yes?" When she didn't say anything, he began placing small kisses along her jawline until he reached her lips. Then, against all odds, he stopped.

Her eyes opened in annoyance. "Why'd you stop?" she demanded, reaching out to grab the lapels of his suit. But he stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "Derek?"

"Uh, just…" She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but he looked distinctly flushed. "Do you…" he swallowed, "Truman said you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh that," Casey felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. "Yeah, it's not true. It's just Kendra asked, and Sam said he had a girlfriend, and I don't know, it just popped out."

To her surprise, Derek didn't look entirely relieved by her answer. Instead, he gave her a distracted smile, his gaze jumping around the stairwell.

She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowing. "What's wrong?"

He didn't reply.

"Why won't you look at me?"

Derek was staring at his feet, which he suddenly seemed to find very interesting. "See, the thing is, Case…"

"Oh my god," she breathed, her stomach suddenly twisting with dread. "_You _have a girlfriend."

"No," he quickly glanced up at her but then almost immediately looked away again, wincing. "Not exactly. "

And then she remembered, a recent memory flitting past her. _I'm not married. _They were his words from earlier that night. But then that meant...

"You're engaged," she realized slowly. And even though she knew it must be true, she still looked at him desperately, hoping he would disagree with her.

But he was shaking his head, the guilt written clearly across his face. "Case, look—"

"Don't," she bit out, her voice thick. "Just go."

Derek's eyes had widened, his expression pleading. "No, I'm not leaving."

"Fine, then I'll leave." She made to walk by him, but he grabbed her arm. "Don't," her voice was cold, "Touch me."

He dropped his hand as though he'd been burned. His chest was heaving and in the back of her mind she felt a flash of annoyance that _he _had the audacity to act like _she _was hurting _him_.

She walked down a few more stairs before turning around to look at him. "You have a lot of nerve," she said, blinking rapidly. "To act like you came here to make things right with me. To act like you've been…missing me…all these years."

"Casey—"

"And then to tell me you were in _love _with me."

He stopped, looking as though she'd slapped him. Which, honestly, didn't sound like a bad idea right now.

"It didn't take a genius to figure out why I was attracted to Truman," she said suddenly, not knowing why she was telling him this but figuring she might as well, since she wasn't planning on speaking to him ever again. "The whole school spent months comparing the two of you," she kept her gaze focused on the stair beneath his feet. "The charm, the charisma, the too cool for school schtick."

Derek made a sudden movement as though he was going to come towards her, but she looked up at him sharply and he froze.

"But he was the poor man's version of you," she went on, her voice a little quieter than before. "Everyone knew that, too. _Derek Venturi _would never rate girls, or kiss someone else when he had a girlfriend…"

"Casey—"

"I can't believe I was so wrong about you," she muttered, almost to herself. "You're more like him than I thought." She pursed her lips, "And there's clearly something wrong with _me_ that I'm attracted to jerks like you and him!"

He suddenly leapt down the few stairs separating them and grabbed her arms, pulling her towards him. "Case, I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice desperate. "It's not what you're thinking, I swear. Me and her, we're not in love. It's a contract…PR stunt…just a mutually beneficial relationship. For our movie." He was talking fast now, his words tumbling over each other. "I'll end it with her. None of it was real, she doesn't mean anything to me."

Casey jerked out of his arms to look at him, not sure what to make of what he was saying. Then she blinked, not sure what to make of his expression either. He looked almost...scared.

"Case," his forehead rested against hers now, and she was left to wonder how she'd let him get so close. And she also wondered why her feet refused to step away from him. "I can't lose you again. Please."

She sighed a little, her heart already beginning to thaw at his words. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "No secrets, Venturi. It's a contract engagement, that's it?"

He nodded quickly, "We have a movie coming out, she's one of the actresses in it."

Casey chewed her lower lip, "But if it's a contract then you can't end it, can you?"

Derek looked frustrated, "I mean I can, I'll just have to…deal with the consequences." He tugged her closer, "But I don't care, if it'll let me be with you."

She sighed again, moodily wondering why she was being so understanding. "When does the contract end?"

He eyed her, looking confused by her direction of questioning. "Three more months," he said hesitantly, "That's when the movie comes out."

Casey pretended to think, but really her mind was already made up. "Okay," she said to him quietly, "Three months. I can deal."

He frowned.

"You keep living your life," she explained in a reasonable tone. "And we'll see where we're at in 3 months."

"Wait," he said, beginning to look panicked again. "You're leaving, just like that?"

"I have an early morning flight back to NY," she said, taking a step away from him. "But things will be different now. We can…talk." She licked her lips, "You know, like on the phone. I...want to hear about your life, Derek."

Derek's gaze dropped to her mouth. "And I won't see you for 3 months?"

"You can come visit me when the engagement is over," she said, trying to smile at him and hide the fact that her heart was twinging painfully. "And we can…umm, I don't know. Go on a date?"

His arms tightened around her waist and he lowered his head, his nose nudging against hers. "Is that a no for tonight?"

"I have _morals_, Derek," she sniffed, "Fake engagement or not."

But she still let him coax her mouth open, his lips covering hers in a toe curling kiss. Flashes from earlier in the night went through her body and she could feel her skin begin to heat. Derek pushed her back against the wall of the staircase and she let out a moan as his hand covered her breast, his thumb stroking her through the silky material of her dress.

Derek pulled back slightly to look at her, his eyes dark. "I can't not…" his voice was hoarse, "Not see you for another 3 months."

And her heart tugged a little, because yeah, he looked so sincere and _earnest _and it was directed _at her _which was kind of a head rush in itself.

"Should've thought about that before, D," she mumbled. And then before she could change her mind, she darted forward and gave him one last kiss before picking up her dress and hurriedly racing down the rest of the stairs.

Derek didn't move, his fingers touching his lips, feeling the lingering effects of her kiss. Then he slowly walked down, and kept walking, all the way to the basement. He switched the light on his phone and eventually found what he was looking for. He hooked one finger on the strap of her heel and let it swing from his hand as he exited the building through a side door.

Three months. He could do this.


	3. Eleventh Hour

**A/N: thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review, I really appreciate it! **

* * *

"It's just a shame you couldn't stop by the house," Nora sighed.

Casey juggled the phone on her shoulder as she let herself into her apartment and tossed her keys onto the entry table with more force than was strictly necessary. "Mom, I already told you I had a night shift at the hospital."

"I know, it's just that you were here and we didn't get to see you and it's not like you come here often, and plane tickets are expensive and—"

"_Mom," _Casey interrupted, frowning. "What's with the guilt trip? If you wanted me to feel bad, then mission accomplished."

Nora sighed again. "I'm sorry, Casey." She paused and then continued in a falsely bright tone. "I hope you had a good time catching up with your friends, at least."

Casey had been in the process of rummaging through her fridge, but now she straightened. "I saw Emily," she hesitated and then plowed forward in a rushed breath, "She's engaged."

"Really?" Nora sounded surprised. "And you only found out at the reunion?"

"She…wanted to tell me in person," Casey muttered, "Or something." When her mom remained silent, Casey hastily added, "It's to Sheldon Shlepper, you remember him?"

"I do," Nora answered slowly. "Well, that's great news. I'll have to give her mother a call sometime."

Casey took a deep breath, her heart beginning to thud nervously. "By the way," she said, in what she hoped was a casual tone. "I saw Derek."

There was a sharp intake of breath followed by an intense coughing fit.

"Mom?"

"You…" Nora said in a cautious tone, "Actually said his name…It's been _years_ since you—"

"Yes, well," Casey shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "He was there." She paused and then added unnecessarily, "We talked."

"I see. And, er, is everything…alright?"

Casey nodded even though her mother couldn't see her. "We apologized to each other for…you know, everything."

"That's…I'm just so relieved…to be honest I had no idea what could have possibly caused the two of you to fall out the way you did. I mean after graduation it almost seemed like you two were…"

'_Thought we were friends-adjacent' _Derek's voice floated across her memory, and Casey let a small smile grace her lips.

"Anyway, does this mean that this Christmas we'll finally have the whole family under one roof again?" Nora sounded absolutely delighted.

Casey blinked and then swallowed down the sudden guilt rising like bile in her throat. She'd been so caught up with her issues with Derek that she hadn't really given much thought to how much strain their falling out had put on the family.

She also hadn't, up until this very moment, realized that Christmas fell before the end of the agreed upon 3 month mark.

"Casey?"

"Y-yes," she squeaked out, "We'll both be there for the holidays this year."

"That's great," her mother said happily. "Oh, I don't know if Derek told you he's been directing movies? Not big leagues or anything like that obviously, just the small artsy indie films. His next one is coming out on New Year's Day."

Casey pressed her lips together, now feeling slightly nauseous. "Yes," she said faintly, "He mentioned he was a director."

The truth was, she'd spent the entire plane ride back scouring IMDB and making a list of all the movies he'd directed. Then she'd promptly ordered them all online.

"And…" Now her mother sounded hesitant, and Casey immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Did Derek, ah, mention anything about…his…fiancé?"

Casey's stomach dropped. She hadn't realized he would need to tell the family about a contract engagement. _Was it a bigger deal than she's initially assumed? _

"Sweetie? You still there?"

"Yes," she answered dully, "He mentioned it, in passing."

"I see," Nora said, but Casey couldn't quite discern her tone. "Well, you sound exhausted so I'm going to let you go. Get some rest and we'll talk later, okay?"

"Sure," Casey replied mechanically, her mind already elsewhere. "Good night." Her mother clicked off and Casey stared down at her phone in consternation.

It had been over 24 hours since she'd left Derek standing in that stairwell.

And he hadn't reached out at all.

No texts, no phone calls, not even a perfunctory e-mail.

She hesitated, her finger hovering above his name in her contact list. She could feel stupid butterflies in her stomach and felt a flash of annoyance that he could still make her feel this way. She hated that he made her doubt everything that had happened between them. Hated that he made her feel like a teenager all over again.

_Hated that this was the same feeling she'd had when she first moved to New York and had somehow been waiting to hear from him_.

Because even if he'd only been pulling a prank, he had _always _called_. _And then, quite suddenly, he just hadn't.

And that was the first time she'd realized that either he was truly mad at her for leaving, or he just really could care less.

Or, of course, there was the third option—that they were both too stubborn to act on anything other than unspoken glances and meaningful silences.

Biting the bullet, she composed a new text and quickly sent it before she could lose her nerve. It was short and to the point.

**CASEY: landed this morning. Just got home from my shift at the hospital. **

She waited a second, feeling a little silly. It was nearly midnight; he was probably asleep for all she knew. Then her cheeks heated when she remembered he was _engaged_. She frowned, belatedly realizing she probably should've gotten more details about his little arrangement. _Was he living with the girl? Exactly how involved did he have to be per the contract? Was he…sleeping with her? _

She was still frowning to herself as she changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, getting ready for bed. She couldn't quite believe she'd agreed to _wait for him_ without getting the full story. This wasn't like her at all.

Derek had yelled at her once about how she always changed when she liked a guy. It had been one of their worst fights, and she didn't even remember what it had originally been about. She'd never forgotten what he'd said though, because it had hurt.

Probably because, deep down, she knew that on some level, he was right. And moreover, he had noticed that about her before she'd even noticed it about herself.

_It always scared her a little, how well he knew her. Better than any other boyfriend she'd ever had, that was for sure. Better than her parents, usually. Better than she knew herself, sometimes. _

Casey heaved a sigh and slipped under her covers. Her body ached from the whirlwind past 24 hours and she could feel her taut muscles slowly relax as she began to get comfortable.

Then her phone beeped with a text and her heart rate accordingly spiked.

She flipped around instantly, her hand grappling on her nightstand for her phone and consequently sending multiple things tumbling to the ground in her haste.

"Shit," she hissed, nearly falling out of bed as she reached down to the ground to grab her phone off the carpet. The text, however, was only from her stepsister.

**MARTI: **Nora and George are so happy that your feud with my brother is over that they didn't even yell at me about the C- I got on my Spanish final. I owe you one, sis.

Casey stared at the text, torn between disapproval and disappointment. It was an unpleasant feeling. She was still hanging off her bed at an awkward angle when her phone beeped again.

**DEREK: **glad you hear you made it back safely. I miss you already, xo.

She dropped her phone again.

What was he playing at? _Xo? XO? _

Seething in the darkness, she huffed and pulled herself back into bed, letting her phone stay on the ground. _What was she supposed to reply to that, anyway? _

The doorbell rang.

Casey's eyes widened in the dark, feeling fear prickle at her neck. It was past midnight. There was no way in hell she was answering the door.

A full minute passed, in which she lay perfectly still, barely breathing. Just as she began to relax again, deciding whoever it was had moved on, the doorbell rang again.

This time, it didn't stop.

Casey hurriedly got out of bed and grabbed her phone off the ground. Then she tiptoed across her room and slid into the kitchen. She flipped on the light and grabbed a large knife out of the holder. And then with trembling fingers, she made her way to the door and peered through the keyhole.

Then she frowned because no one was there.

She let out a gust of air, realizing she'd been holding her breath. Then, keeping the knife firmly in front of her, she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

And nearly screamed.

"Jesus," Derek said, staring at the knife she was brandishing. "Watch where you point that thing, woman."

Casey didn't let go of the knife, but she felt her phone slip out of her other hand and fall to the ground for the third time that night.

Derek walked in, giving her a wide berth as he looked between her and the knife. His expression was a little bemused, as though he didn't know what to make of the scene in front of him.

"Jesus," he said again, his eyes focusing fully on her as he dropped his duffel bag onto the ground. "You're shaking."

Casey blinked and looked down at her hand, just now noticing that her knuckles had turned white around the knife. She let out a deep shuddering breath and carefully placed the knife back within its holder. And then she stayed where she was, facing the counter, and—most importantly—not facing Derek.

"Alright," she could hear him stepping towards her slowly. "In hindsight, I guess I forgot how much you don't like surprises."

Casey glared at her stovetop. _Yeah, right. Derek Venturi never forgot a weakness. Especially if it concerned her. _

"Case?" His voice was hesitant, and she realized he was directly behind her now. She felt him place a hand on her shoulder. His touch was warm and inviting and…felt like home, if she was being honest with herself.

She didn't shrug him off, but she didn't turn around either.

"You're still shaking," Derek said, pulling at her a little so she was forced to turn around. Before she knew what was happening, he had pulled her into his arms. "Hey," he offered quietly, his voice muffled into her hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to be, you know…" He trailed off, now sounding embarrassed. "Romantic."

Casey sighed into his chest as she felt her heart rate return to normal. "Two hugs from Derek Venturi in 24 hours," she mumbled. "Must be my lucky day."

"This isn't a hug," Derek said, not releasing her.

"Oh?" she tipped her head back to look at him, "Then what would you call it?"

He shrugged, "An apology?"

Casey hid a smile as she disentangled herself from him. "What are you even doing here?"

"I told you in the text," he said, turning on the charm full force. "I missed you." When she only crossed her arms, he went on hastily. "I didn't text you before that because I was on the plane. And I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"That's…well." Casey paused, unsure of what to say. "You're not…you haven't answered my question."

"I did," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. And just like that, she could feel the tension begin to rise between them. "Maybe you're not asking what you actually want to know."

She opened her mouth, and then closed it, thinking. "Where's your fiancé? Mom called me you know, asked me if you had _told me _about her."

Derek didn't flinch, but his gaze immediately skittered away from hers.

"I didn't realize contract engagements required telling the family," she went on evenly. "Unless it _matters _a little more than you initially let on."

He looked back at her, his mouth twisting. "The whole thing is for publicity, it's in all those trash gossip rags. I couldn't _not _tell the family. You'd rather they read it in some magazine than hearing it from me?"

Casey frowned at him, "So they know it's not real?"

Derek looked exasperated. "I can't _tell _people it's not real. That would ruin the whole point!"

"But you told me!"

"Because I was trying to be honest with you! I didn't want—and we had just—" He broke off, looking frustrated. "Forget it."

Casey didn't say anything, because for better or worse, the two of them had always been on the same wavelength. And she kind of got what he was trying to say.

"And then you would have found out anyway," he suddenly said, "After we…" His cheeks slowly became tinged with red and he looked at her quickly. "Because if I hadn't said anything, we would have…because we almost…" He swallowed, and then stopped talking altogether.

_Almost slept together. _

Casey chewed on her lip as she stared at the ground. There wasn't much she could say, not when everything he said was annoyingly true.

"She's at home," Derek said into the silence. "My fiancé."

"Your home?"

"No."

Casey nodded, still refusing to make eye contact. "Have you slept with her?"

There was a long pause. "Yes."

Her living room suddenly felt suffocating.

"Is that part of your contract?" Her voice sounded unnatural, even to her own ears.

Derek swore under his breath. "I'm not currently sleeping with her, and _no_ it's not part of the contract." He strode towards her, grabbing her forearms none too gently. His voice was harsh when he spoke again, "Don't do this. Don't…_be _this."

Casey thought that distinctly unfair.

"If the situations were reversed," she said through gritted teeth, "_You _would be through the roof. Don't deny it."

Derek looked a little sick as he stared at her, and she knew he was imagining it. "Just because I'm a jealous prick," he growled, "Doesn't mean you have to be."

"Why not?" she shot back, now getting angry. "Because I'm a _girl_? Because I constantly have to be a _better person _than you are?"

"Because you're Casey!" he exploded, "And you _are _better than this! And me, for that matter." He turned away from her, but not before she heard the bitterness that laced his final words.

Casey scowled, "Derek, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not," he said simply. "Just like your grandmother always thought Nora was too good for my dad, which let's face it, she is. The McDonalds are a tier above the Venturis, that's just how it is. There's no point in _pretending _about it."

He didn't sound bitter anymore, just matter-of-fact, which somehow made her angrier than before.

"My grandmother was wrong," she snapped at him, "And so are you. And stop trying to change the subject!"

"I'm—" Derek's eyes were blazing. "Fine," he said shortly, stomping over to her sofa and throwing himself into it. "Sure, I'll take a seat, thanks for the invitation. Now, what's on the McDonald interrogation agenda for today?"

Casey glared at him, her arms folded. "Tell me about her."

"No," he shook his head. "There is nothing to tell that you don't already know. Everyone thinks we are engaged, and we will be till after the release date of our movie. New Year's Day."

"Yeah, mom told me. She was absolutely thrilled that we'd both be home for the holidays this year, by the way."

Derek looked at her, vague panic settling across his gaze. But when she blinked, his expression became impassive once more. "Can't wait."

Casey waited, but he seemed perfectly content to sit there in silence. "Is that all you're going to tell me?" she demanded. "I'm making a huge effort here, Derek, to be—_understanding_."

He groaned, leaning back so his head was resting against the top of her sofa. "The contract only says Aimee and I have to be seen together. We aren't living together because that would be a hell of a lot of work to move out in a few months."

"Seen together doing what, exactly?"

Derek's fingers were twitching. "Just…being _out _together," he muttered, "Like on dates. Doing whatever it is people do on dates."

Casey tapped her fingers on her arm, thinking.

"I slept with her once." He hadn't moved from his position of staring at the ceiling. "Before the contract."

"What will people think," she asked flatly, "Of you being here?"

At that, Derek shifted so that he was looking at her. "What is there to think?" he asked incredulously, "I'm visiting my stepsister. Convenient cover story, huh?"

"Right," she looked away, "Convenient."

"Case, come on," Derek got to his feet, "It's late and we're both exhausted. Can we just continue this interrogation in the morning?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "How long are you staying in the city?"

"I only bought a one way ticket."

Her mouth opened in horror.

Derek laughed, though it didn't hold any amusement. "I have a couple days off before I have to get back to work," he said. "So don't worry, I won't be in your way for too long."

She knew him well enough to know when he was being facetious. "I didn't mean…" she sighed, "I want you here, of course I do. I just…I don't think it's a good idea. Especially with…everything."

He didn't argue with her, which was surprising in itself. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly. "Because I can."

"No," she said quickly, "Just…no, I want you to stay. I have the day off tomorrow. We can…" She reached out for his hand, feeling her skin jump as he entwined their fingers. "Hang out."

Derek was watching her closely. She chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"I would like that," he said finally. Then he stepped back and looked her over, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Nice PJs."

Casey pulled her hand out of his grasp, annoyed. "Well, I didn't know you were coming, did I?" she shot back without thinking, tugging self consciously at her _comfortable _pink flannel set. "It's October," she added defensively, "It's cold."

He was giving her that _look_ again. The one from the roof. The one that no doubt made girls everywhere collectively melt at his feet. He stepped closer, his lips brushing her ear. "I can keep you warm."

She pushed him back a little. "That'll be hard to do from the couch."

His eyes widened, "You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am," Casey said firmly. "I told you already, nothing is happening between us while you're engaged—contract, or otherwise."

Derek didn't say anything for a moment. Then he tilted his head, studying her. "Don't trust yourself to be in the same bed as me?"

Casey flushed, "That's not—"

"I mean, I know _I _can control myself," he said idly, "But if you feel like you can't keep your hands to yourself, then I _totally _understand."

She glared at him as he tossed her a triumphant smirk. "Fine," she hissed, "Give me a minute to find you a damn pillow." She turned on her heel and stormed into her room, giving it a cursory onceover. Then she flounced into her closet to change.

_Time to teach him a lesson. _

A few seconds later, she walked back into the living room and leaned against the doorway. "The room's ready now."

"Great," Derek bounded off the sofa, "I'm exhaust—" He broke off when he caught sight of her, his mouth dropping open comically. "Wh—what," he asked hoarsely, "But that's…"

Casey raised an eyebrow at him, "Something _wrong, _Derek?"

He visibly swallowed. "You're wearing…my jersey."

"Yep," she said cheerily, her fingers skimming the hemline. "_Just _the jersey and nothing else, in fact."

Derek paled.

"Ready for bed?"

"You—"

She turned to hide her smirk and had just stepped back into her bedroom when he was suddenly there, grabbing her arm and spinning her around so her back hit the wall. She gasped when he pressed into her, his arousal straining against his jeans. "You're trying to seduce me," he accused, his breath hot against her neck. "You're playing with fire, Case."

And as her breath began to come faster, she had to admit that _maybe _he had a point. _Was she really trying to outsmart the master? _

"Why do you even have this?" he asked roughly, his fingers grasping the material of the jersey over her stomach. The movement caused the hemline to raise dangerously high and she sucked in a startled breath.

"I—I, umm…" she stammered, attempting to gather her thoughts. "They streamed your games online sometimes," she said finally, her head falling back against the wall when she felt his hands begin to wander. "I know you said I couldn't be there, which is true…but that doesn't mean I didn't watch them."

Derek's hands stilled. He pulled back and looked at her, his gaze roaming her face.

And even if she couldn't read his expression, she knew what her admission meant to him.

"Case," his voice was gravelly, as though he'd forgotten how to use it. "I—" Then his hands cupped her face and he was kissing her fiercely.

And in an 11th hour twist, she found that her feet were the ones propelling them backwards to her bed. When the back of her knees hit her mattress, she pulled back and met his gaze. His eyes were dark, his pupils dilated. And then, without a second thought, she was pushing him down, her lips finding his.

So maybe he had called her bluff and won. But she found she didn't really mind.

* * *

_***so, i'm thinking a couple more chapters. we have to at least see the drama that happens at xmas, right? be sure to drop a review! **_


	4. 4AM

And here's the thing—they're on her bed and he's moving against her and for once they're totally on the same page and _getting along _and it feels a little bit like high school almost, because she has this really tiny inkling in the back of her mind that _maybe _they shouldn't be doing this—

Then there's also the small matter of him swatting her hands away every time she reaches for his belt buckle. After the third time, she lets out a groan of frustration. "Stop trying to be a _damn saint!" _

Derek had diligently been working on feeling her up, but at her words he stops abruptly. He's breathing hard as he holds himself above her, but he still manages to throw her an incredulous look. "A saint? Now there's something I never thought I'd hear you say."

She reaches for him again but he shakes his head once and lowers himself onto the other side of her bed. "Come on, Case, don't make this harder than it is."

Casey doesn't move for a full second, too stunned to do anything. "You can't be serious."

She turns to look at him, but he's lying next to her now, arms folded behind his head. As she watches him, a dull flush creeps up the side of his neck. "I deserve some kind of award, I think," he says to the ceiling. "For being the _fucking good guy_."

"What," she says, because she honestly truly has no idea what is even happening right now.

He heaves a sigh. "_You_ said you didn't want anything to happen with us until this contract was over. _You _said you had morals."

"But I—"

"And I respect that," he interrupts.

"What," she repeats, because..._what? _

He turns to face her, a slight grin pulling at his lips. "Okay, maybe not," he admits, "But I know you'd find a way to blame me once the heat of the moment is over and you've gone and made _charts and lists _of pros and cons and realized that you _regretted _what happened." He pauses, "And I don't want to fight."

Her mouth opens and closes several times. "_Since when_?" she demands, "You love it when we fight, in fact you go _out of your way _to make sure we fight!"

"True," he acknowledges, "But not about stuff like this." Then he swings his legs over the edge of the bed and gets to his feet.

And she hates herself a little bit for the mild rush of panic she feels. "Wait! You're leaving?"

He turns to look at her, and she has a sudden strong desire to wipe the smug expression off his face. "I'm gonna shower," he informs her, "So we can avoid the morning after argument about how I messed up your precious clean sheets."

"Oh," she flops back down, feeling faintly embarrassed. "How…considerate of you."

"Yep," he says wryly, "That's me. Considerate."

She can hear his footsteps begin to leave the room and she sits up suddenly, staring at his retreating back before blurting out, "I wouldn't have regretted it."

He stops at the doorway to look back at her, and she can tell he wants to say something but she can't read his expression—and that irks her because she used to be _so good _at reading him and now she just...can't. "It's late," he says instead, "Go to sleep. I'll be right back."

Casey stares after him, listening to the spray of the shower head from the next room. Then she slowly lies back down, brushing her hair out of her face. Her skin is still too hot, and even though he isn't physically there, she can still _feel _his fingers imprinted against her skin. She blows a strand of hair off her forehead and groans to herself. _Figured he'd find a way to get under her skin eventually. _

And maybe, just this once, he's not entirely wrong—maybe she would have resented him for making her throw her moral compass out the window just by showing up. _But that's the way it had always been. She broke rules for him, always. Because he was the exception. _

Her eyes are just beginning to drift shut when she hears him return to the room. "Hey," she murmurs sleepily as she feels the bed dip next to her. "How was your shower?"

"Cold," he says, and her eyes flutter open just as he switches off the night lamp next to her bed.

She waits a second but he doesn't do or say anything else. With a small frown, she twists around to look at him. He's lying in the same position as before, both arms folded beneath his head. He's also lying _above _her sheets.

He glances at her and seems to take stock of her expression. "What?"

"Why are you being…" She gestures wordlessly at him, "Weird."

"I'm just _trying_," he grumbles, and then slides under her sheets. "Happy?"

She shrugs, turning back around to face the wall. Her heart is thudding abnormally fast, which is a little bizarre because they aren't even _doing _anything. He wasn't even touching her—which, okay, is strange in itself. And then she realizes she can't feel his body heat at her back, which means he's lying as far away from her as he possibly can.

For some reason, this annoys her more than it should.

She hears Derek heave a sigh in the darkness, because—much to her chagrin—he's always had some sort of signal beacon for her emotions_._ "_What now?"_

"Nothing." Then after a minute of silence, "I don't know why you didn't just sleep on the sofa."

Derek mutters a few choice swear words under his breath. And then he abruptly slides towards her, throwing one arm around her waist.

Casey feels her lips tug into a smile, and she shifts a little so that her back is pressed against his chest. He sighs into her hair. "I'm going to be such a disappointing boyfriend."

And just like that, she's wide awake.

She feels her shoulders tense, and knows he can probably feel it too. His lips are at her neck when he speaks again, "Go to sleep, Case. Forget I said anything."

"N-no, I just," Casey's cheeks heat, "I don't think you will be." After a second she adds, "Disappointing, I mean."

His arm tightens around her waist in response.

She places one hand over his, stroking his fingers absentmindedly. She doesn't know why she says it, and can only blame sleep deprivation. "I bought all your movies."

"What?"

"Yeah," she mumbles, "From the plane. I didn't watch them yet."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, and then she feels him move closer behind her. "Just so you know," he mutters, ""You're making it _really hard _not to sleep with you right now."

She grins into the darkness. "We are sleeping together," she says amicably, to which he grunts.

A few more minutes go by and then he asks casually, "So there aren't any hot doctors I have to worry about, are there?"

His tone is off-hand enough, but the edge in his voice tells her he'd been racking his brain for a way to bring this up. "There is one guy," she says thoughtfully, "We actually did go out once, but it was awkward to say the least. We're _much _better as friends." She pauses, "You remember Tinker, right?"

"You _work _with Tinker?" Derek sounds vaguely outraged, "And he _asked you out?" _

"Yes and yes."

"But..." And then Derek falls silent, and she has the impression he's attempting to reconcile his image of Tinker from high school with whoever he might be now. Then he scowls, "I said _hot _doctors. Not dork doctors."

She shoots him a look. "Very mature, Derek. You'd be surprised, he's quite the eligible bachelor now."

Derek makes a dissatisfied noise. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Casey raises both eyebrows, even though she isn't facing him anymore and he can't see her expression. "I'm not bringing you to work, so forget about it."

His tone is petulant. "But how else will I meet all the hot nurses?"

"_De-rek!" _

He laughs and this time it's teasing, "Knew I could get you to scream my name in bed tonight."

"You're incorrigible."

"This trip was kind of a spur of the moment thing, you'll have to forgive me if I didn't bring my thesaurus."

"_Dictionary, _Derek!"

"That, too."

"Ugh, you are _so—_"

And it's much easier than she would have thought, to fall back into old habits. Bantering was kind of their thing, and because there's clearly something very wrong with her, she had actually _missed _it. Because no one else got her riled up like he could, and she knew no one challenged him like she did.

It's all very familiar, except this time—_this time_, their frustration has an outlet. As their argument somehow dissolves into Derek moving on top of her again, she doesn't know whether to be annoyed or impressed that he's clinging steadfastly to his 'no sex' rule.

"Too bad we didn't have this in high school," she says without thinking—her brain has apparently decided to take a short vacation because his hand has made its way up her jersey and his fingers are _so close_ to where she wants him to be, but he seems content to merely be a tease.

Derek chuckles against her skin, "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Where did _you _channel your frustrations?" she asks curiously. "After our fights, I mean."

He gives her a strange look, but his voice is bland when he replies, "Hockey." He climbs off her, but leaves his hand splayed on her abdomen. "What about you?"

"Dance."

"Right," he coughs, "How could I forget."

"You loved that dance competition," she says, not having to look at him to know it's true. "I know you did."

They settle back into their original position—his arm across her waist, her back against his chest. "Only because I finally got to hold you."

Casey blinks, not sure what to make of his confession. "But…" she twists around to look at him uncertainly, "You never wanted to hug. _Ever._"

He's frowning at her, "Because you were looking for a feel good family moment." His eyes darken, "That's not what I wanted." At that Casey promptly turns back to her side, because this is a lot of information to digest and she can't very well digest it if he's _looking at her like that. _

"Case?"

She swallows, feeling unaccountably nervous. "How long?"

He tenses behind her, and she knows that he probably understands what she's asking. But he plays dumb anyway, because that's kind of his forte. "How long what?"

Casey chews on her lip. "I told you on the roof," she reminds him, her voice small. "When exactly I realized I might be in love with you." _It was when my life fell apart without you in it. _

There's a long moment of silence, so long that she thinks maybe that he's _fallen asleep, _but that can't be possible, not when her heart is beating _so fast_ but she wouldn't put it past him to do it just to _spite her_—

"Come on, Case," he finally says in a low voice, "Not tonight."

She frowns.

After a few minutes, he sighs, "This is going to keep you up for the rest of the night, isn't it?"

"No," she says unconvincingly.

Derek's grip tightens around her, whether on purpose or unconsciously, she doesn't know. "I always…" he hesitates, "I was always attracted to you, you must've known that."

When she doesn't answer, he pushes her shoulder down so that she's forced to turn and look at him. "You _did_ know that, right?" He gazes at her in disbelief when she shrugs and shakes her head once. "How could you not know?" He sounds genuinely shocked.

And she finds that she maybe hates him a little bit, too. Because _how could HE not know? _She glares, "You were mean, Derek. A lot of the time."

"But—"

"And then you _weren't,"_ she interrupts, "But I could probably count on one hand all the times you actually _had a freaking heart." _And okay, maybe that isn't true, maybe it was more than a handful of times, but _still_.

Derek is still looking at her with mild incredulity.

She finds herself getting annoyed that he isn't quite getting the picture. "Your _pranks_, they—"

"Hey, I put a lot of effort into the pranks," he protests.

"I know," she says icily. "And if you'd spent even half that time on, I don't know, _schoolwork _then—"

"Then I wouldn't have had you to tutor me," he smirks at her, but it drops off his face quickly. His gaze moves away from her and begins darting around the room. "I kinda wished you were there…in college, I mean." He definitely won't meet her gaze now, "I guess, I kinda needed you there."

And just like that, her irritation ebbs away.

They both don't say anything for a long moment. "The pranks," he says again, and she can't believe he's harping on about this. "I spent a lot of time on those."

"Yeah," she says, rolling her eyes. "So you've said."

"No," he insists, reaching out to grasp her wrist. "I didn't spend that much time on _any other girl." _

"You didn't prank any other girl," she points out.

And then, yeah, she kind of gets it.

"Oh."

Her eyes widen while Derek watches her warily. "That long?"

He squints at her. "You're really going to make me say it?"

Casey considers him for a second. _Derek—who didn't do feelings. Derek—who had entertained this conversation for far longer than she'd thought was possible. _"No," she decides, reaching up to kiss him softly on the corner of his mouth. "You're right, it's late."

She turns back to her side and smiles when she feels his arm reach across her waist to pull her closer. "I was attracted to you from the moment you showed up at my door and started yelling at me," he whispers in her ear. "I don't know when I started to like you, but I think I only realized it when you started making eyes at Sam."

Casey freezes, but then Derek is kissing her neck and she forgets what she'd been about to say. "Sam knew, I think, even back then. But he didn't say anything. And he knew for sure in college. Because my life, it, uh, sort of fell apart too."

Her heart is doing weird little backflips and twists, and she's finding it rather hard to breathe.

"Then I definitely started to like you when we became…friends-adjacent," he continues, his lips grazing a path to her ear. "Otherwise known as the Truman era." She feels him shudder slightly.

Curiosity gets the better of her. "What did he mean," she asks quietly, "On the roof?"

Again, he plays dumb. "Which part?"

She huffs.

Derek's lips leave her neck, and she feels him press a kiss onto the top of her head. "He might have said a few things when I showed up to give him a piece of my mind."

"What things?"

"Er," Derek's voice becomes muffled as he buries his head into her hair. "Said that the two of us had an unhealthy obsession with each other and that we deserved our trainwreck of a relationship because no one else would ever come close."

Casey's chest feels oddly constricted and she pushes Derek's arm off her without thinking. He freezes behind her almost immediately. "This is why I don't tell you things."

She's still mad about what Truman said, and is wondering if maybe _that's _why he broke up with her—but he had _no right _to say those things about them, and suddenly she's realizing that Derek probably should've given him two black eyes after all.

Anger is coursing through her veins, but Truman isn't here and it's only Derek—so she snaps in response, "Yeah, you've certainly been keeping a lot of things to yourself."

Derek's answering silence is the only indication he gives that he's upset by her reply, and she's half hoping that he would just kiss her and they can pretend this conversation never happened, but he doesn't because _when the hell has he ever done what she wants?_

She turns to face him, but he's lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. She studies him carefully. "Is that why Sam was acting weird when he saw me at the reunion?"

"Because he knew I was in love with you and that we hadn't spoken in years?" Derek's voice is bitter, "Yeah, probably."

And then she remembers suddenly, and panics. "What about Emily?"

He looks at her sharply.

"You guys were openly _glaring _at each other," she points out, "Everyone could see."

"Bad breakup," he says offhandedly.

Casey narrows her eyes, "I don't believe you."

Derek rubs his hands over his face. "It's 4 in the morning, Case."

"Fine," she says, and abruptly reaches over to grasp his T-shirt and pull him towards her. He gasps in surprise as she presses a hard kiss onto his mouth and clambers over him.

"What—" He struggles to sit up, his hands finding her hips almost reflexively. She only pushes him back down, not caring as her jersey rides up in the process. And then she shifts her hips so that—_yes, right there_. Derek groans, his eyes slamming shut. "Case—"

And this time when she reaches between them to pull his pajama bottoms down, his hands don't leave her hips to stop her. Instead, she only feels his fingers tighten around her.

She can feel the victory just within grasp, _so close_, but when her fingers skim down to his boxers, he suddenly reaches out and grabs her wrist in a vice grip. Her mouth drops open in surprise, but when she looks at him, his eyes are still screwed shut. "What are you doing?" she asks, a little miffed. _Couldn't he let her win, just this once?_

He unscrews one eye, then the other. Then proceeds to stare at her. She stares back, and after a few moments of silence, the high is wearing off—and she realizes how utterly ridiculous she's being. "Sorry," she mutters, moving off him and sliding back onto her side of the bed.

He pulls her into his arms immediately. "Don't apologize," he says, and she feels a little thrill in her stomach when she hears how hoarse he sounds. His nose nudges her cheek, "This take charge version of you is kinda a turn on."

She smiles, but her eyes jump to his shoulder distractedly. "Derek, do you think..." She hesitates, "Was Truman right? About us?"

Derek eyes her and then asks carefully, "Which part?"

"That we're too..._messed up_...for anyone else." She knows she's paraphrasing but she figures that pretty much covers the gist of it.

He's still looking at her. "Probably."

Casey nods, because they kind of are. "We spent too much time being entwined in each other's lives, didn't we?"

"Until we weren't." His voice is quiet now.

"Until we weren't," she agrees. "That's why it hurt so much, you know." She isn't sure why she's still talking, except that she _needs _him to understand. "Because it felt like a part of me was...gone."

When she meets his gaze again, his eyes are blazing. "My breakup with Emily," he says suddenly, "It was about you."

Whatever she'd been expecting him to say, it hadn't been that. _"What?"_

He scratches the back of his neck, and she has the feeling he hadn't been planning on telling her about this. "Er...did you and Emily...I mean, did she tell you when she and I...broke up?"

Casey doesn't have to pretend to think about the answer. She remembers that day clearly. "It was the second semester of your freshman year." She pauses, "You lasted longer than I would have thought."

Derek gives a short laugh, though he doesn't sound the least bit amused. "You mean _she _lasted longer than _I _would have thought." At Casey's confused look, he shrugs, turning away from her. "I was a shit boyfriend," he says bluntly. "I didn't...okay, I know this sounds stupid, but I didn't know how to..." His brow furrows, "I guess I'm trying to say, without you there, I was..." He trails off, shaking his head. "What did Emily say to you about the breakup, anyway?"

"Nothing much," Casey answers slowly, a little surprised at how much trouble Derek—who's always had a witty comeback at the ready—was having with spitting out whatever it was he was trying to say. "She said you guys gave it a try for a year but the long distance thing was too much and that it wasn't fair to either of you."

Derek looks disbelieving, "That's all she said?"

"Yes, why?"

He visibly cringes. "It was a terrible fight, when we ended things. She said a lot of things—most of them fair, I guess." He pauses, "And I said some pretty horrible things, too."

Casey has a sort of deepening dread in the pit of her stomach and wonders if she wants to know any of this, after all. Derek looks at her and seems to guess what she's thinking. "I can drop this whole thing," he says hopefully. But she shakes her head, making a motion with her hands for him to go on.

He grimaces. "She came to campus in April, a month before the end of the semester. Said she couldn't take it anymore—that even when you were an ocean away, you were still my first priority. That she thought it would be different this time, especially with you gone, but that it was more of the same. That I was a coward for never telling you how I felt—and an asshole for never breaking it off with her when clearly I didn't love her and never would."

Casey wonders vaguely if this is what an out of body experience feels like. Sure, she _hears _everything Derek has just told her but she has the oddest sense of not being grounded in reality. _Because there's no way this is her life. _

"What," she squeaks eventually, "That's not...that can't..." Then she realizes she's only heard one part of the argument and her throat grows dry. "What did you say back?"

His jaw sets with anger. "I told her it wasn't _my _fault she was a psycho stalker who's been fucking obsessed with me since grade 6, and maybe if she was any good at _studying _me then she would've realized I was never into her and it was all for—" He stops abruptly, and looks at her warily to see how she's taking this.

Casey quickly tries to rearrange the shock in her expression, but judging from the annoyance that flashes across Derek's face, she isn't sure she's succeeded. "I, ah," she says weakly, "I understand now, why the two of you seemed so...mad at each other at the reunion."

Derek snorts under his breath, "Right."

And her heart breaks for him a little, because while _she'd _never made it a secret how much her friends and family meant to her, _he'd _never acted like he needed anyone at all—always the stupid cool guy, above feelings and attachments.

She opens her mouth, but he suddenly leans over and kisses her. "Don't," he mumbles against her lips, "Please don't apologize." He pulls back to search her gaze, "That's not why I told you. I don't want you to feel _sorry _for me." Then his mouth quirks into a half grin, "Besides she was hardly the first _or _last girl to dump me because of you." He taps his chin, appearing to think. "I think that blonde cheerleader back in high school was the first. What was her name? Max's ex?"

Casey ignores him, thinking of the stream of guys she'd tried dating when she had moved to New York and how all of them ended in some variation of '_you're clearly still hung up on your ex.' _Then she sighs and reaches across him, placing her head on his chest. "We really are ruined for anyone else."

He nods above her. "Yeah, I think so." His thumb is absentmindedly making circles on her shoulder. "What do we tell the fam?"

"I'm not," she yawns, "While you're..." She can feel sleep pulling her under, and tries to get out the word "engaged" but then she's fallen asleep.

Derek brushes a kiss on the top of her head and pulls her closer. "After Christmas, then," he mutters. He listens to her breathing even out, feeling his own eyelids drift shut. And then he falls into the first peaceful sleep he's had in ten years.

* * *

**_*the follows & reviews have been amazing, thank you so much!_**


	5. November 22nd

_I._

* * *

When she wakes up, she's momentarily disoriented. Sunlight is streaming through her windows, and she fumbles on her night table for her phone. **11:57AM!? **

She gasps, her heart rate accelerating as she flies up in bed. It takes several moments of panicking for her to remember that she doesn't have to go into work today and she marginally relaxes. Then her eye inadvertently falls on the empty spot next to her and she begins to panic again.

Some part of her half-asleep brain concocts the idea that maybe she _dreamt _the entire thing, and that Derek was never here at all—and yes, she'll admit that's crushing disappointment she feels in her chest—but then she hears faint noises coming from the kitchen and…is that _coffee _she's smelling?

Curious, Casey gets up and pads to the mirror on her wall, giving herself a cursory lookover. She—quite frankly—looks like a hot mess. Her hair is tangled from Derek's hands, the jersey is rumpled, her cheeks are still flushed, and—she squints a little at her neck. Are those _teeth _marks?

She feels her entire body heat and decides that Derek had the right idea last night with the cold shower, after all.

Thirty minutes later, she strolls into the kitchen and pauses on the threshold, her mouth dropping open. Derek is sitting at the counter, his laptop open as he types away at an e-mail. It's not him that holds her attention, however—it's the large stack of pancakes next to him.

"You…" she squeaks, "Made breakfast?"

He starts, apparently having not heard her come into the room. Then he looks her over with a grin, "Back to the pink PJs, I see."

She ignores him and walks more fully into the kitchen. "_And _coffee?" When he doesn't say anything, she whirls around and sputters, "Since when can you even cook?

Derek shrugs with one shoulder and smirks, "What can I say? Chicks seem to dig it."

Casey can only stare, aware that her jaw is still hanging on the floor. Derek takes this opportunity to swoop forward and kiss her soundly. Her back hits the wall moments later, the coffee and pancakes both forgotten as a moan escapes her throat.

But…there's something different this morning. His mouth is moving against hers with something close to urgency—almost desperation. She pulls away after a few minutes, unable to ignore the feeling any longer. "Derek?" she questions, leaving her forehead resting against his. "What's wrong?"

His eyes are closed and he sighs, "I always forget you know me just as well as I know you."

Casey steps back as much as she can, given that she's still against a wall. "What's wrong?" she repeats, and this time her stomach is twisting with the hit she knows is coming. "Do you…are you…" When he doesn't fill in the blanks, she chokes out, "Leaving?"

Derek finally looks at her, and swallows. "I got a phone call early this morning. There's some reshoots they want to get started on for the movie. They're moving up the release date to the day after Christmas." When Casey only stares at the ground, he keeps rambling. "My flight was supposed to be tomorrow morning but I guess they wanted me to be back by tonight." He pauses, possibly for her to chime in, but she still can't think of anything to say. "I didn't want to wake you," he adds unnecessarily.

At that, she looks up with a frown and asks slowly, "When's your flight?"

He looks at his watch and then looks back at her apologetically, "In a couple hours." He scratches the back of his neck, now looking uncomfortable. "And since it's an international flight, I kinda have to leave…"

"Now," she finishes, chewing on her lower lip and trying to ignore the sinking pit in her chest. _It's not his fault_, she tells herself steadily. _Not his fault_.

"Case…" She can hear the regret, and it's enough for the tears to spill out of her eyes. Derek sucks in a breath and then he's pulling her into his arms. "God, don't cry," he mutters, "You know I don't do tears." That only makes her cry harder and he winces, "Especially when they're about me."

She doesn't know how long they stand like that in her kitchen, with him just holding her. But in the ensuing silence, all she hears is _tick tick tick. _After a second, she realizes his hand is holding her head to his chest, and she's hearing his watch near her ear.

"You're gonna miss your flight," she says, pushing herself out of his arms. Derek looks surprised but she hastily swipes a hand across her face. "I'm sorry," she says, as her cheeks heat with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to fall apart like that."

He just stands there, looking a little lost. "I wish I didn't have to leave."

"I know."

Derek still doesn't move, his eyes roving over face as though he's memorizing every detail. "We'll keep in touch this time, yeah?"

Casey nods, feeling her throat tighten with unshed tears.

"I don't want you to come to the airport," he says abruptly, "I'll call a cab."

It's then that she notices his packed bag sitting by the door. And then she notices that he's dressed already, his leather jacket hanging on the chair behind him. "Oh," she says in a small voice. "You should've woken me."

"Nah, I think our _activities _last night kept you up late enough." His voice is teasing, but when she meets his gaze, his expression is somber. And its only then that she realizes that this is just as difficult for him as it is for her, and he's only keeping it together _for _her. Her lower lip trembles and she bites down on it, hard.

Derek's eyes follow the movement and he looks down at his watch. He swears under his breath. "Case…"

"You have to go," she says, stepping forward and enveloping him in a hug. As she begins to pull back, he presses a quick kiss onto her forehead. "Christmas is less than 3 months away," she tells him, trying to smile. "We lasted 10 years, what's another few weeks?"

"Yeah," he agrees, swallowing. Then he steps past her and picks up his bag from the door. She doesn't move, staring at his back as he stands in front of the door, not opening it. Finally he turns around, his gaze looking her over from top to bottom, pink PJs and all. A smile quirks at his lips, "I love you, Case."

Then before she can react, he's gone. The door clicks loudly behind him.

Casey walks over with numb fingers and turns the lock. Her feet moving of their own volition, she takes a sip from the coffee mug sitting out (it's cold) and picks up the top pancake (it's chocolate chip—and also cold). She lets it slip through her fingers back onto the plate. Then she slides down to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. And she cries.

And somewhere along the way she realizes the irony—she's been crying over him for one thing or another for ten plus years.

As her sobs die out, she pulls her cell phone out of her pocket. She scrolls through her contacts thoughtfully. The problem with her pretending Derek didn't exist means that none of her friends in New York would _understand_.

In fact, only one person would.

The phone rings 4 times before Emily picks up. "Casey?"

"H-hey."

"What's wrong?" Emily asks immediately, sounding concerned. "Are you crying?"

"No," Casey sniffles.

"Hey, what happened to you after the reunion? You disappeared after we spoke, I tried to look for you after but then Sam said you had left with Derek…?"

It was perhaps telling of the current state of their friendship that the reunion had been 3 days ago, and Emily was only asking her about it now. Casey feels a brief wave of sadness for how they had drifted apart, and wonders idly who was to blame for it.

"No," she replies after a minute, "I didn't leave with Derek." She takes a deep breath, "But we spoke that night, about…about a lot of things."

"I see," Emily sounds cautious. "Is that why you're calling me?"

"He was here," Casey blurts out, "Just now. H-he just left."

Her friend is silent for a long moment. "In New York?"

Casey nods, and then realizes Emily can't see her. "Yeah, he…flew out here to surprise me after the reunion."

"And he already left? Did you guys get into another fight?"

"No, he had to get back to that movie he's directing," Casey mutters.

Emily's voice is softer when she asks again, "What's wrong?"

"I'm…I think I…I l-love him, Em."

Emily breathes out a gust of air. "About time you stepped out of that river in Egypt, sister."

"You _knew_?"

"Didn't Derek tell you why we really broke up?"

At that, Casey shifts uncomfortably. "Uh, well, he…yeah, it might've come up," she admits.

"You were the center of his whole world, Casey," Emily's voice is quiet. "Maybe you didn't see it, but everyone else could. Everything he did, he did because of you."

"That's not—"

"Even all the girls he dated," Emily interrupts, "He did it to annoy you, and it _worked_. And you know he only asked me out to get under your skin."

"I never—"

"But he was the center of your world, too. And maybe that's why you couldn't see it, and why he couldn't either. You were so wrapped up in each other's lives that you couldn't see anything else. Or _anybody_ else."

And Casey doesn't say anything to that, because her mind is reeling. _It wasn't like that…was it? _

"He fell apart without you," Emily is still talking, and Casey forces herself to listen. "Nothing that me or Sam or anyone did helped. It's like he didn't know who to be without you to revolve his life around."

"It was like that for me, too," Casey whispers. "It's not…that's not _healthy_, is it?"

Emily's voice sounds dreamy, "Isn't that what love is?"

"I…I don't know," Casey answers, startled. "I never loved any of the guys I dated like that." She pauses, "But Derek loved Sally like that, I think."

"He loved her more than any of the other girls," Emily agrees, "I mean he was willing to throw his life away just to follow her to university. But that was then."

Casey frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Well their second go around didn't last too long, did it?"

"Huh?"

Emily is silent for a second. "He didn't tell you? Sally did a semester at Queens during his third year. I only know because my mom told me after, of course, _your _mom told her. I think Nora was hoping for an engagement announcement or something, honestly."

Casey is too shocked to properly form a reply.

"It didn't work out, obviously," Emily says hastily. "He changed too much after…he lost you."

"He never had me," Casey says absently.

"Yeah," Emily chuckles quietly, "He did."

* * *

_II._

* * *

Life goes on after that, more or less the same. But she makes it a point to call Emily more often now. Because Derek was right about one thing—the breakdown in communication wasn't just a one way street, and she had no right to sit there and point fingers.

She and Derek talk sometimes, but their conversations are brief. She's busy, and so is he (the premiere of his movie is fast approaching). They do text everyday though, and for now, it's enough.

"You seem different," Tinker remarks one day, in passing. Casey is on her way to see a patient, charts in hand, and she pauses in surprise. "Happier," he offers. "It's a good look on you."

The rest of October disappears, and then soon it's mid-November.

Nora calls her first, asking for the millionth time about her Thanksgiving plans. Again, the guilt trip is starting to grate. "Flight prices are astronomical," Casey explains patiently (again). "And I only get the two days off."

"We just haven't seen you in so long," Nora sighs.

"I'll be home for Christmas," Casey reminds her mother. "And I'm trying to get a week off for that. No promises, though."

Nora sighs some more, but eventually drops the subject.

Derek calls next, and she takes the call with some surprise. As the movie premiere date had approached, he'd called less and less. Even his texts had become sporadic.

"I was starting to think you had forgotten about your favorite step sister," she answers.

"Oh, is Lizzie with you?"

"Hilarious."

She can see his smirk, even though he's not there. "I'm sorry," he says, "About not being…around as much. I'm just—"

"Busy," she finishes for him. "Don't worry, I get it. How are you? How's the movie coming along?"

"We're premiering at a film festival around Thanksgiving," he says, "In Toronto." Then he pauses, "I was going to send tickets to the fam as a surprise."

Casey frowns, "I thought your movie was premiering the day after Christmas?"

"That's when it'll be released to theaters." Derek's voice changes suddenly, "So are you coming home for Thanksgiving?"

She swallows. She can hear the question he's not asking. "My mom called yesterday and asked," she explains gently, "And I told her the same thing I'm telling you. I only get two days off and the airlines have really jacked up the ticket prices and there's just no way that I can afford—"

"Okay, okay," he cuts her off, "I was just asking. No big deal."

Casey tugs on a strand of her hair anxiously. "Don't be mad."

"I'm not," he insists, "Really."

She sighs, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I have to leave for work."

"Just…" he says suddenly in a rush, "I'll send them an extra ticket anyway. Just in case."

"Derek, that's not—"

But he's already hanging up. "See ya, Case."

Casey stares at the phone in consternation. She nearly gets into an accident on the way to work because she's so distracted.

"Hello? Earth to Casey?"

She jumps, "What?"

Tinker is looking at her strangely, "I asked you if the blood results on the heart failure patient came back yet? Are you okay?"

Then she sighs and drags him into the break room and tells him everything. To her surprise, his eyes light up. "I always knew there was something between the two of you," he says gleefully. "So _that's _why you were never into me. It was always him, huh?"

Casey frowns, "Well, that's not really—"

"Why don't you ask your dad?"

"What?"

"He's loaded, right?" Tinker reasons, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind buying you a ticket so you can go home for Thanksgiving."

"But then I won't be here with him."

"Last year you said he didn't even make you feel welcome," Tinker reminds her, "With his new wife and kids."

"That's true," Casey says glumly, remembering the awkward incident and suppressing a shudder.

"So," Tinker grins, "It's settled, then."

* * *

_III._

* * *

And that's how she ends up on a flight to Toronto on November 22nd. She doesn't tell Derek she's coming. In fact, she doesn't tell anyone except Lizzie. Her sister has always been able to keep a secret, and she kind of wants to surprise her mom, too.

She checks into a hotel when she lands. Her dad seemed more than eager to buy her the ticket and had even given her extra cash for the hotel. It was almost as if he _didn't _want her to crash Thanksgiving with his new family. Her lips pursed together, quashing down the mild feeling of disappointment. She didn't know why she bothered, he'd been a disappointment ever since she moved to New York, anyway.

She changes into a belted maroon sweater dress that comes to her knees, pairing it with knee high boots. Then she pulls on her woolen coat and waits outside the hotel. A van pulls in front of her several minutes later and her mother is the first one out, looking ecstatic. "Casey, I don't believe it!"

The rest of the family piles out behind her. "Thank God it's just you," Edwin says, giving her a one armed hug. "I had serious misgivings when Lizzie told us we had to stop at a hotel on the way to the festival. I thought she may have picked up a _stray_ again."

Casey looks at her sister in confusion, "You didn't tell me you got a dog."

Her sister is glaring at Edwin, "No, he's not referring to a dog."

"Yeah, I'm talking about—_ow! _Okay, okay, jeez woman. Could your heels get any spikier?"

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" Lizzie snarls back.

Nora is watching them wearily, "I had forgotten how much you two bickered. For some reason I thought that was more Casey and Derek territory. My mistake."

"Yeah," Casey chimes in, looking between them suspiciously. "I thought you two were supposed to be the ones who got along. Weren't you always partners in crime?"

Edwin shoots her a loaded look. "Perhaps your and Derek's fighting just overshadowed everyone else."

"Now I know that's the truth," George says with a hearty laugh, reaching over to hug Casey. "I was so thrilled when Nora told me you and Derek had _finally _made up."

Casey smiles uneasily, reminded of how much trouble they had been causing their family. "Where's Marti?"

"She and Robbie are at home. Teenagers, you know," Nora grumbles, "Wouldn't be caught dead anywhere with her _entire _family."

"Derek is okay with Marti not coming?" Casey asks, surprised.

"All she has to do is pull her _'aw shucks, Smerek!' _routine and he'd forgive her for murder," Edwin rolls his eyes.

"Could you sound any more jealous?" Lizzie mutters.

"So, how's grad school going?" Casey interrupts loudly, hoping to head off another argument.

Lizzie brightens, "I'm presenting my thesis next spring."

"That's great, Liz," Casey squeezes her sister's shoulders. "And Ed, how's—"

"Playing video games for a living?" her sister interjects.

"For the last time, I'm a video game _designer." _

"That's enough," George cuts in warningly. "You're all in your 20s now. I won't take any more of this childish behavior."

They all clamber into the van after that, and the arguing dies down. Casey is still a little taken aback by Edwin and Lizzie's less than friendly banter, and she isn't sure if that's how she and Derek used to come off to the others. She frowns a little at the thought.

"George, honey, I think you missed the turn."

Casey sighs inwardly. She's crammed in the backseat with Lizzie, while Edwin sits in front of them. She nudges her sister's knee and lowers her voice, "So what stray was Ed talking about?"

Lizzie eyes the back of Edwin's head in distaste. "Don't tell mom, but I'm kinda dating this guy. Edwin doesn't...approve."

"Why?" Casey narrows her eyes, "And why is it a secret?"

"He's kind of..." Lizzie shifts, "A starving artist type."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Edwin turns around, "It means he's _broke_ and living off Lizzie. Actually, I mean living _with _Lizzie."

"_Edwin!" _

"What!?" Casey hisses, her eyes widening at her sister. "You're living with a guy and mom doesn't know? And the guy has no money?"

"He's a good guy!"

"Yeah, that's what they all say to get into your p—" Edwin hastily ducks to avoid Lizzie's punch. "Well maybe Casey will talk some sense into you since you clearly don't listen to _me _anymore."

Casey scowls at her sister, but before she can berate her, George pulls to a stop. "We're here!"

"This conversation is _not _over," she warns her sister, but Lizzie only huffs and gets out of the car. She takes particular care to step on Edwin's foot as she stomps into the parking lot. Casey falls into step with Edwin, a little surprised at how much he towers above her. "Thanks for looking out for her," she says, "It's hard, not being around."

Edwin shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It's what big brothers do, right?"

"I wouldn't know," Casey deadpans, "I never had one."

"Oh, I don't know," Edwin nudges her shoulder with a laugh, "Derek had his moments."

She makes a noncommittal noise.

Edwin looks at her, his gaze assessing. "Oh, you meant the _brother_ part. Yeah, I guess he never was that for you." He kicks a few pebbles in front of them as they walk towards the building ahead. She notes he's slowed his pace so they're hanging back, behind their parents and Lizzie. "You can't deny that he looked out for you, though, in his own way."

Casey blinks and turns to him. She wonders if Edwin is practicing selective amnesia. "He caused most of my problems, usually," she corrects. "I don't think you were even there for the few times he _was _looking out for me."

"Or _you_ weren't there," Edwin says blandly.

She stops walking, "What is that supposed to mean?"

He eyes her, "Who got the school to stop calling you Klutzilla?"

"He's the one who started that whole thing!"

"Fair. But he got them to stop." Edwin nods towards Lizzie, "After she begged him to."

This was news to Casey, "Wait, what?"

"And who told them to stop calling you a grade grubber?" Edwin went on, "Though that was after you got him that A he needed to pass the class, so tit for tat I guess. But still."

Before Casey can truly process any of this information, they've arrived. She hasn't been to a film festival before, so she's not really sure how it works. "When do we see Derek?"

"After," Nora explains, "He'll be doing press stuff now, but we can go get our seats."

"Can we see any of the press stuff?" Casey asks, curious.

"There'll be a live stream," Edwin says, pulling out his phone. "But it's not that interesting, really."

George turns to Nora, "Did Derek say anything about introducing us to Aimee?"

Casey freezes and then internally begins cursing herself for being so stupid. She'd completely forgotten that Derek's _fiancée _would be here—and that the family would obviously want to meet her. She can feel sweat beading on her forehead and nervously looks around, as though Aimee and Derek are about to materialize at that very moment.

"Uh, you okay sis?" Lizzie is giving her a strange look. "You look like that time Mrs. Pummelman showed up at our house to catch you in that lie about your science project."

Edwin chortles, "Good times."

"I'm fine," Casey squeaks, "I just, uh, I'm—"

"Hey, there's Derek!"

She whirls on the spot, "Where?"

"On the screen," George says excitedly, pointing at a TV screen in the lobby which was live-streaming the press event outside.

Nora comes to stand next to her husband, her arms folded as she studies the blonde on Derek's arm. "And _that, _I presume must be his _fiancée_."

"It is," Edwin says, "Aimee Bradshaw. She's been in a few small time movies." His eyes light up appreciatively, "Bro's still got good taste."

Lizzie makes a face. "You boys are so predictable. A hot blonde and you completely lose your heads."

"I always thought he'd end up with Sally," Nora says thoughtfully, apparently ignoring Lizzie's jibe. "It's really too bad they didn't work out in the end. I wonder what happened when she came to Queens for that semester. Derek never really seems to want to talk about it."

Casey quickly shifts her gaze away, pretending to be intently listening to the broadcast. So far Derek just seems to be answering a few questions about his experience directing the movie. But then she sees the camera zoom more into Aimee, and someone squeals, "When's the wedding?"

Aimee laughs, flipping her hair over her shoulder and falling more into Derek's side. "We were thinking a summer wedding might be nice. Something on the beach under the sun. Just close friends and family." She looks up at Derek with a simpering gaze, "Something intimate."

"A woman after my own heart," Derek grins and then bends forward to kiss her. There's a collective _'aww' _from the press surrounding them as flashes go off. Casey scowls, wondering how they aren't blinded by all the lights. She also feels a little sick, but isn't sure why. After all, Aimee is an _actress_. And they're just acting the part. _Really, really well._

She tunes out the next several questions, not particularly wanting to hear the fake details about the fake wedding. But then a different voice suddenly asks, "This is a big night for you, Derek. Anyone else here tonight besides the lucky lady on your arm?"

"Sure is," Derek answers, his gaze leaving the reporter's face for an instant to look at the camera. "I invited my whole family." He flashes a familiar self-deprecating grin and winks, "I believe only half of them even bothered to show up. I guess that shows you I'm not the favorite."

The reporter laughs accordingly, "And who is?"

Derek taps his chin thoughtfully, "Probably my little sister, Marti. Being one of the youngest has its perks."

"I'm sure it does," the reporter giggles. "And you were photographed just last month visiting your sister in New York, isn't that right?"

Casey's eyes widen. She'd conveniently forgotten to tell anyone—besides Emily—about Derek's visit. She knew that no matter how happy the family was that the two of them were on speaking terms again, they'd certainly have more than a few questions if they found out he'd actually set foot on a plane and went out of his way to _visit _her.

Just as she predicted, Nora and George both turn to look at her with identical looks of confusion.

Edwin and Lizzie, oddly, throw frantic looks at _each other_.

But Casey's eyes remain steadfastly on Derek. Her heart starts beating a little faster, wondering how he's going to react to the question.

Derek doesn't say anything for a long moment. But then Aimee subtly elbows him and he blinks...and Casey can almost _see _the mask slipping into place. "_Step-_sister," he corrects dismissively. "Actually I was just in the area to follow up on some promotional opportunities for the movie."

"Looking to expand in the states? That's great! So is your stepsister here tonight?"

"Doubt it. Since she wasn't invited."

The reporter's smile falters, "I thought you said you invited your whole fam—"

"I don't really consider her _family_," Derek cuts in, "In fact, she's nobody." He makes a show of scanning the press briskly, "Any other questions? No? Alright, we're going to head inside now. Enjoy the movie, thank you, thank you." And with that, he leads Aimee off camera.

Nora is frowning with disapproval, George is shaking his head in disappointment, Lizzie looks simply furious, and Edwin's arms are crossed as he glares at the TV screen.

Casey doesn't say a word to them as she calmly turns and walks out of the building. She doesn't look back, and no one tries to stop her.

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**_*your reviews have all been amazing, thank you! love hearing everyone's thoughts (and can't wait to hear what you think after this chapter!). And yes, the xmas shenanigans will be happening in the next one ;) _**


	6. One More Night

Casey doesn't do anything so dramatic as catching the next flight back to New York—though she does wistfully daydream about the possibility while she rides in an Uber back to her hotel room. But her smile fades as she realizes just how unrealistic her daydream is…especially since it involves Derek appearing on the runway to chase her down.

"Miss? This is your stop, right?"

She starts, the daydream slipping away from her. "Oh," she says, flustered. "Yes, thank you." She hurriedly steps out, tripping over the curb as she stumbles her way into the hotel.

Her dad had chosen the hotel, and it was accordingly quite expensive. Her feet sink into the plush carpet as she waits impatiently for the elevator. She looks listlessly around the lobby, but every TV screen seems to be broadcasting the red carpet from the film festival. She immediately averts her eyes, pretending to be interested in picking the lint off her coat.

When she finally gets to her room, she heads straight for the bathroom to take a hot shower. She stays in there for far longer than necessary, until the steam is so thick that she can't even see the fingers she waves in front of her face. And she most certainly does _not _cry or think of...anything. When her skin has become too wrinkled, she reluctantly shuts off the water and steps out, wrapping herself in the complimentary silk bathrobe.

She wanders back into her room, picking up the room service menu and perusing it halfheartedly. She knows her dad would happily pay whatever extra costs will keep her in Toronto instead of a flight back home. She reflects on the fact that this thought doesn't hurt as much as it used to.

At that moment there's a loud knock at the door. "Room service!"

Casey grumbles to herself as she pulls open the door. "You've got the wrong room, I've only just —"

The server looks up from a cart, which is most decidedly _not _carrying her food. She gapes, for once completely stunned. "_Derek?" _

He turns to gesture to somebody she can't see, and another server comes into view, holding Derek's leather jacket. "Thanks, man," Derek says, handing over the cart. He takes off the hat and—if she's not mistaken—hands the guy a $100 bill. Then he shrugs out of the crisp white jacket and exchanges it for his own.

Casey isn't aware that she's stepped back and let him enter her room until he shuts the door behind him. "You—" she sputters, "How did—"

Derek is ignoring her, per usual. He whistles as he looks around her room, "Fancy digs."

"Yeah," she examines her nails irately, "Thank god I didn't spend my _own _money coming all the way out here."

Pain flashes across his expression, "Casey—"

She looks up when he doesn't continue, and is surprised to see that he looks…_messed up_. His hair is sticking out in all directions, and she notices for the first time that he's thrown his leather jacket over his very disheveled looking suit.

"What…happened to you?"

"I didn't know you were coming," he blurts out, taking a jerky step towards her. His arm spasms at his side, but he doesn't come closer. "I saw them—the family—before the show, and he—Edwin, he told me you—and…"

Casey looks at him in mild alarm. "Derek?"

He closes his eyes and rests his head against the door. He seems to find it easier to talk if he isn't looking at her. "Edwin told me you had been there…that you heard what I said. And that you had left." When he opens his eyes again, he looks anguished. "I'm sorry, I didn't know—" He breaks off and swallows. "You have to know I didn't mean it."

She chews on her lower lip anxiously, hating the gnawing feeling that's rising like bile in her throat. _Don't cry, _she tells herself sternly. _Don't_. But then her eyes spark with tears and she crosses her arms, letting her nails dig into her forearms.

She feels like she's holding herself together, trying not to break. _Because that's what he does to her. _And then she hears Emily's voice in her head, telling her that's what love is—and maybe it is, and maybe she doesn't want it after all.

"Case," Derek's voice is hoarse, and she realizes that he's finally moved towards her. He's reaching for her now and she lets him pull her into his embrace, though she stubbornly doesn't uncross her arms. "I'm sorry," he says again and she drops her arms to her sides so that she's against his chest, and she hates even more that she feels _safe _in his arms, like he would never hurt her—even though he's the only one who so easily can.

He has one hand on her head and the other wrapped around her lower back. She can hear his heart hammering in his chest. _It's fast_, she thinks dully. _He's nervous. _She doesn't pull back, but turns her head a little so that her voice won't be muffled against his chest. "Is the rest of the family downstairs?"

"No," Derek says after a moment, "They're still at…there. They're still there."

Casey pulls away abruptly. "At the festival? It's not over?"

He looks down at her warily. "No."

She hears her voice rising with hysteria, "And you just…_left?" _

Derek doesn't say anything.

"But—you _can't_!" Casey nearly screeches, "You can't just _leave_! They'll be looking for you! And—what were you thinking!?"

His expression is more serious than she's ever seen it. "I was thinking that you were hurt," he says quietly, "I was thinking about how you came all this way to surprise me and that you had to see me with her, saying those things." He looks away, swallowing. "And I was thinking that I just wanted to see you to explain. To make it better."

The speech is so _un-_Derek-like that she can only stare.

"Aimee and my lawyer weren't exactly thrilled that I came to see you in New York," he mutters suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Only because the press got wind of it. I really had to play up the step-sister aspect, but even then…so I had to make up some BS about promoting the movie in the States." He grimaces, "I didn't think I would be asked about it tonight. It caught me off guard, and Aimee was next to me and she had already been pissed about the whole thing…I only said what I did to get the attention off you. You know that, right?"

"She was really selling it," Casey says instead of answering his question, because _yes _of course she knows _why _he did it. It wasn't like it made it hurt any less, though. "The whole being in love with you thing," she adds, in case it wasn't clear.

Derek narrows his eyes at her, "She's a good actress."

Casey nods, studying him. "Isn't everyone going to be pissed when they realize you skipped out on the rest of the premiere to come…here?

"Screw them," he snaps, "I'm not losing you because of what some damn contract says." He reaches out to grasp her forearms, his gaze intense. "_You _mean everything to me, okay? We wasted all those years, and I can't do that again. I won't."

She feels her heart twist at his words and the ache in her chest ebbs away. "I spoke to Emily," she says, "After you left New York that day. She told me…everything." Because Derek's hands are still on her arms, she can feel him tense. "I never realized how…how we were," she goes on unsteadily, "To others."

Derek doesn't say anything, but when she looks up at him, his eyes are dark.

"She said I was the center of your world," she whispers, "And that you were mine." She swallows, "And then she said that's what love is. To be so wrapped up in each other that you don't realize it."

"That's Emily," his voice is hard, "Ever the romantic."

"So you don't…don't agree?"

He looks taken aback, "Hell, I don't know." Then he looks at her more closely, "I know what I felt like when you weren't there. I know what I feel for you now."

Casey considers his words and then smiles slightly, "Are you going to write me a song about it?"

Derek's shoulders relax and he tosses her a mock fearful look. "You wouldn't dare."

"No," she steps closer to him, "I wouldn't." Then she tips her head back to regard him thoughtfully. "Emily told me about Sally coming to Queens for that semester."

He looks like he's trying not to roll his eyes. "Is there anything you girls _didn't _talk about?"

"Mom brought it up, too."

At that, Derek stiffens, "What? When?"

"Earlier tonight," Casey answers simply. "When she saw Aimee on your arm. Edwin and Lizzie made some comment about your taste in blondes. I guess it must have triggered Mom's memory."

He frowns, "Okay, I'm pretty sure Edwin knows who the hell my _type _is these days." Then he shoves his hands into his pockets, and Casey can tell he's aiming for fake casual. "What did Nora say?"

Casey wonders what he means by that, but doesn't press the issue. "Something along the lines of how she thought you two would end up together, especially after Sally came to Queens."

Derek steps out of her grasp, avoiding her gaze. "We tried. Hell, _I _tried, I really did. I wanted it to work out. I had…" He hesitates, looking at her quickly. "I loved her, back then. She…she reminded me of you, in a way. She had all these goals and plans, and she didn't take shit from anybody. But she was her own person too, you know? And she got along so well with Marti and the 'rents…and you." He meets her gaze then, "I really saw her becoming a part of the family."

Casey smiles at his admission, because she knows it rings true. It's probably one of the most honest things he's ever said about Sally. "Maybe you should've put that in your song."

He chuckles, "Yeah, teenage Derek wasn't quite the wordsmith, was he?"

"No," she agrees, "He wasn't."

He leans forward, nudging her shoulder. "Good thing I had you to watch my back."

She's quiet for a second. "I always liked Sally for you."

"I know." Derek straightens, "But all those things I loved about her, it wasn't the same when she came back." Then he frowns, "I mean it was the same, but it…it reminded me too much of you. Or a version of you, anyway." He runs a hand through his already messy hair and heaves a sigh. "I don't know, Case. It just didn't feel right anymore to be with her."

"Oh." She tries to think of anything else to say, but can't. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

The corner of his mouth lifts in a half grin, "I told you before that Emily wasn't the first or last girl to dump me because of you."

Casey's eyes widen. "Sally dumped you? But I thought…"

He shrugs again, "It was kind of a repeat of the Emily break up. I was numb to it, at that point."

"Derek—"

"It's fine," he interrupts, "Really. She said I was hung up on you, which was true. Then she said no one would ever be as important to me as you were." He glances at her, "Also true."

Casey sighs, squinting up at him. "Did everyone know? I mean…except us?"

Derek wraps his arms around her, pulling her close until their faces are inches apart. "Everyone who knew us in high school, they kind of seem to know, yeah." They stand like that for a few moments, and Casey feels her pulse quicken with anticipation. When Derek speaks again, his voice is strained. "Am I forgiven for being a jerk?"

In response, Casey tilts her head back and kisses him softly. And then she melts as he instantly tightens his grip around her, deepening the kiss. When they fall into bed, she isn't sure who is leading who. All she knows is that the silk of the bathrobe is thin and flimsy, and when she wraps her legs around Derek's waist, she can _feel _every single inch of him. She lets out a sound that may have been a cross between a whimper and a moan, and Derek groans into her neck.

They both still, becoming aware of what exactly is happening.

Derek moves off her, and she hurriedly straightens the robe around herself, feeling her cheeks heat as he looks her over. "I'm going to shower," he says abruptly, yanking off his tie and tossing his suit carelessly onto the ground.

"A cold one?" Casey calls teasingly to his retreating back, to which he flips her off without turning around. She laughs, sliding back into the bed. For a hotel bed, it's astonishingly comfortable. Her eyelids flutter closed as it suddenly hits her how utterly exhausted she is, between the flight and the...emotional events of the evening.

She's dosing off when she hears him return and she starts awake. "Sorry," he whispers, and the scent of clean soap wafts across the room. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"What are you doing?" she mumbles when she feels him get under the covers next to her. "Don't you have to get back?"

He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her to his chest. She instantly feels at home and lets herself relax further, feeling the sleep drag her under. "Not tonight," he murmurs, "We haven't been together since I was in New York. Let's just…"

"Pretend?" she offers sleepily, entwining her fingers with the hand he has across her hip. "We can pretend for tonight." She feels Derek brush a kiss across her cheek and her lips curve into a smile as she falls asleep.

Derek watches her for a few minutes before he feels his own eyelids start to close. Before he successfully enters dreamland, however, his phone begins beeping obnoxiously. "Ugh, _what_," he grumbles under his breath, reaching behind him to grab the phone lying on the nightstand. There are 6 missed texts and 3 missed calls. His stomach twists as he suddenly becomes wide awake.

**AIMEE: **where the hell are you? everyone's looking for you!

**AIMEE: **god Derek, I told everyone you weren't feeling well and had to leave. You fucking owe me**. **

**DAD: **we're headed home. Your fiancée told us you left early. For your sake, you better have apologized to Casey.

**EDWIN: **dude Dad and Nora are giving me the 3rd degree. Dunno how long I can hold them off.

**LIZZIE: **me and Edwin will take care of the 'rents. You better apologize to my sister.

**AIMEE: **the fucking press is all over this Casey shit. You went to her hotel? What the fuck were you thinking?

He feels his blood run cold. There's a link she's included in the text and he clicks on it with trembling fingers. It leads to a trash gossip site which he knows almost nobody reads. But yes, there it is—a blurry photo of him entering Casey's hotel. There's no way they would be allowed in, and thankfully there doesn't seem to be a picture of her…but still, how the hell had they known she was staying here?

"Derek?" Casey shifts towards him suddenly, perhaps feeling the loss of the arm he'd had over her waist. She frowns at the phone in his hand, "What's going on?" She looks disoriented even though she's only been asleep for about ten minutes, and he realizes how tired she must be. "Derek?" she prods when he doesn't answer, her voice thick with sleep. "What's wrong?"

He wants to tell her everything is fine, but finds that he can't. "We…we might have a problem."

* * *

**_A/N: loved reading all your reviews last chapter, especially after what Derek did. hope his apology makes it up to you guys ;) and I enjoyed reading your theories about what's going to go down at xmas! keep reading and reviewing xoxo _**


	7. Moment to Remember

**A/N: ****wow I know it's been forever! school/life got in the way, but I never forgot about this unfinished story. I recently got a review for this fic and remembered I had started the next chapter ages ago. So here it is, and I hope it provides some entertainment for all of us stuck in quarantine. Stay safe during these strange times and be sure to drop a review! xo **

* * *

They end up having to call in the cavalry.

George, to say the least, is _not _pleased.

"I've spent the better part of your life bailing you out," he rages as he paces back and forth across the hotel room. "But I thought now, _now, _that you were finally an adult, I wouldn't have to clean up your messes anymore!"

Derek doesn't say anything, his head lowered as he sits on the bed. Casey is standing in the oppositecorner of the suite, her arms folded as she positions her body so she's half facing the wall. She wonders idly what it would take for her to just disappear into the floor and be done with it.

"And then you had to go and drag Casey into it!" George continues, jabbing a finger in her direction angrily. "Did you even think about how this _looks_? And don't even get me started on the stunt you pulled in New York!"

Casey winces, chancing a glance in her mother's direction. Nora is sitting on the couch, one hand massaging her temples.

"I didn't think—"

"Yes, well, _that _much is clear," George nearly shouts, glaring at his son. In the ringing silence, he pauses, perhaps realizing he's taking things too far. He turns to his wife and asks in a much calmer tone, "Nora, do you have anything to add?"

Nora sighs, looking back at Casey. Then she gets to her feet and joins her husband. "Derek," she begins carefully, "You've never really…made the best decisions…where Casey is concerned."

At that, Derek looks up, a scowl already crossing his expression. "No, let me finish," Nora says sternly. "I mean…take high school for instance. Don't you think your grades would've been, oh I don't know, a _tad _bit better if you just studied instead of pranking Casey all the time?"

"Ah, excellent point," George agrees, his brow furrowing. "God help me, I don't remember exactly _how _you spent your time before Casey moved in but ever since she did, it's been one bad decision after the other."

Casey's face is so hot that she wonders if she's radiating heat.

"That's not fair," Derek's voice is low, his hands clenching into fists. "You're the one who told me to apologize to her!"

"Well I certainly didn't mean leaving in the middle of _your _premiere to do so!" George snaps. "It's one thing to drag yourself down, but to bring Casey down with you, I mean really—"

"George—" Casey tries to intervene, but it's too late.

Derek is on his feet, his eyes blazing. "You have no idea," he hisses, and she can see him shaking, "What it's like. To have your every move monitored, _watched_, to—to have to fucking _pretend _all the time."

"Language," Nora admonishes, but he's not listening.

"Pretend?" George repeats furiously, "Pretend at what? Your dream since high school was to be a director, and you've managed to skate right onto that path with nothing but your charm and charisma—so tell me, Derek, what exactly are we pretending about?"

Casey swallows hard, her eyes widening. Edwin and Lizzie are there, but both have remained uncharacteristically silent. Edwin's expression is serious, his eyes narrowed as he watches the exchange. But when she looks over at him, he catches her gaze. And just like that, she can tell that he _knows_.

Derek's jaw is clenched and that's when he finally turns back to look at her. He studies her fearful expression, and something akin to disappointment flashes across his face, but it's gone before she can understand what it means.

"Well?"

"Nothing," Derek replies sullenly after a moment, his gaze falling back to the ground.

Nora moves closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Derek, we're all very happy that you and Casey have made up. But, you have to understand, it's not the same as when you two were in high school. When the only consequence to your actions was being grounded or…getting suspended." She takes a deep breath and plows on, "You're both adults now and…well, Derek, you're an engaged man. And Casey…she's—you can't play up the _step_ sister angle and expect people not to pay attention."

By now, Derek looks a little nauseous.

George glances at Edwin and Lizzie, seeming to finally remember that they're also in the room. "We're all adults here," he says, "So we don't have to beat around the bush." He looks at Derek sharply, "Flying all the way to New York and staying with Casey and then leaving your premiere to come to her hotel room—a mere hour after you blatantly said _on camera _that you don't consider her your sister, I might add—"

"Dad," Edwin suddenly cuts in, "I think they get it."

"Yeah," Lizzie says hastily, "I think we _all _get it. Er, Casey you look a little green."

Derek turns to look at her, and she's startled at how pale he is. She has no idea what _she _looks like but it must be bad, based on how he blanches. "Case," he's suddenly in front of her, arms held out just as she stumbles forward, feeling lightheaded. "Hey," he catches her in his arms, looking worried. "Alright, let's sit you down."

She lets him lead her to the sofa, feeling too faint to resist. Derek sits down next to her, keeping one hand on her back. "Ed, get her some water," he says, his gaze not moving away from hers. "It's okay," he says quietly, his hand absently rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Take a deep breath, everything's going to be okay."

A glass of water appears before her and she takes it gratefully, murmuring a thank you to Edwin. But her hand trembles, and Derek's hand quickly covers her own before she can drop the glass. "Watch it, Klutzilla," he murmurs, and she rolls her eyes at him, letting the corner of her lips tilt upwards into a smile.

That's when she sees the rest of their family gaping at them in varying degrees of astonishment.

"Bro," Edwin breathes, "You've got it bad."

Derek grits his teeth, "Shut it, Ed."

"But—"

"What is this?" Nora interrupts, her voice an octave higher than normal. "Casey?"

She wants to answer, she really does. But when she opens her mouth, nothing comes out. _Because how can she possibly explain? None of them were there—none of them knew how she'd fallen apart without him in her life. _

George looks confused, but at Nora's words, he crosses his arms. "Yeah, Derek. Care to explain?"

Derek stands up, keeping one hand on her shoulder as he does so. "Okay, just—don't freak out."

"Derek," Nora whispers, "You're going to be _married_."

"I…" he shifts uncomfortably, "Not really."

"Not really? _NOT REALLY?" _

He groans, "Keep your voice down, will you? All we need is for the press to get wind of this, and then I'll really be done for."

"Mom," Casey tries to stand, but Derek's hand on her shoulder forces her down again. "It isn't what you think."

"Isn't it?"

"Derek and I, we're—we just—nothing happened!" Now this isn't entirely true, but her mother doesn't need to know that. From the corner of her eye, she sees Derek glance down at her in surprise.

"Then what happened in New York?" Nora asks swiftly, "And why is he here now?"

Flashes of New York go through her mind and she feels her face grow hot again.

"Alright, look," Derek lets go of her and faces Nora. "I know you're upset, but…" He takes a deep breath and glances at Edwin, who nods at him encouragingly. "I love her, okay?"

"You _what_?" George demands, looking positively enraged. "What about Aimee?"

Derek's expression darkens before he bursts out, "IT'S NOT REAL!"

"_What?"_

Then Derek sinks down onto the sofa tiredly and proceeds to explain everything about the contract. He even talks about how he'd fallen apart at university, why things didn't work out with Sally in the end, and how he'd planned out the prank at their reunion.

There's silence after he's finished talking.

"A contract," Lizzie says flatly, and she's the first person to break the silence. "You guys couldn't even wait till after the contract to…be seen together?"

"We haven't done anything wrong," Casey defends. Again, not entirely true, but they didn't have to know that. "It's not our fault the press is creating a story where there is none!"

"Maybe not," Lizzie agrees, "But that's what the press does. Everyone knows that, even us _common _folk." She looks at Derek pointedly, "And someone who's in the entertainment industry should know that better than anyone."

Her voice is quiet and not particularly accusatory. But Derek still flushes and looks away.

"Derek," George shakes his head, "Make no mistake, we'll be discussing this _at length _at a later time. But for now...what's your plan?"

Derek looks startled, "My plan?"

"I assume you have one?"

Thankfully Lizzie steps in to break the growing silence. "Alright," she says briskly, "This is all about spinning the story. We need to make it our own narrative. Ideas?"

"Emily," Casey offers before she can really think about it, "She writes for the paper."

"Not gossip column stuff, not anymore," Lizzie muses, "But she would have a connection to someone who does. Good start."

Surprisingly no one disagrees with this plan, most likely because nobody else had anything better to offer.

It only takes a few minutes to explain everything to Emily over the phone. "Of course I'll help," she says, but she sounds dubious. "I have a friend who writes this kind of stuff." She pauses, "We'll have to send a photographer to the hotel, to get a picture of you guys leaving. Casey, it'll be best if you walk out in between Nora and George, try to look as ill as possible."

Edwin looks over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, don't worry Em, that won't be a problem." Casey halfheartedly throws him a scathing look, but given how she currently feels, she knows she probably looks like the walking dead.

"Okay, next order of business," Emily goes on, "Derek, I don't know how you got there—"

"My driver."

There's a brief moment of silence, possibly as Emily adjusts to the idea of Derek _having a driver. _

"I trust him," Derek defends, "He—"

"Okay fine," Emily cuts in, "Call him now, and you go back to your house. Stage a date night with Aimee, to celebrate your movie premiere. Somewhere public, somewhere nice. We'll send cameras and spin that story too."

"But—"

"Casey you'll go back with George and Nora for a couple days to _recover_, I don't care if you have to take more days off work to do so, but it'll look suspect if you hop on the next flight right after we put out a story saying you're sick, got it?"

"We got it," Lizzie says, when no one else does. "Right guys?" Everyone reluctantly murmurs varying degrees of assent, except Derek. Casey looks over at him sharply. He meets her gaze, but his expression is frustratingly blank. Lizzie glares at the both of them before turning her attention back to the phone. "When should we head outside?"

"I'm texting the photographer now," Emily says, "He'll be there in 15."

As soon as she hangs up, Derek gets to his feet. "Can everyone go wait in the hallway please, I need to talk to Casey alone."

George looks at him incredulously, "You can't be serious."

"This is private property," Derek snaps, "There's no press in here, and I won't get—" He breaks off and takes a deep breath, "I won't get another chance to talk to her after today."

"Damn straight you won't," George begins, but then Nora nudges him and he falls silent. "Alright, fine, we'll be in the hallway _right outside_ this door. We're going to head down to the lobby _together _in precisely…10 minutes. Everybody got that?"

Derek nods, ushering the rest of the family out the door. Then he closes and locks it. Casey still feels a little shaky but she stands up from the sofa. "Look, you don't have to say anything."

He frowns at her, "Casey—"

"I know you didn't want this," she interrupts, "Everything that happened tonight and whatever is going to happen after—I don't blame you, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets, staring hard at the ground. "It kinda sounds like you do. Blame me, I mean."

Casey chews hard on her bottom lip, trying to rein in her temper. "Well," she finally says in a measured tone, "Lizzie was right, wasn't she? As someone who's actually _in _the entertainment industry, you should've known better than to think your disappearance wouldn't be noticed, _especially _tonight. You even said it yourself, your every move is watched!" In spite of her best intentions, she throws her arms out in frustration, "I guess I don't know what you were thinking!"

Derek flinches.

"I mean—okay, yes I know you wanted to apologize, but—" She groans, "This is a huge mess."

There's silence for a moment, so complete that she could've heard a pin drop.

Then Derek moves towards her. He makes a sudden movement as though he's going to take her hand, but then he doesn't. He swallows thickly, "Case, I'm sorry. For all of it."

"I know," she says, because she does. "And I forgive you," she adds, because again, she does. When he looks surprised, she tries to smile. "I know you had good intentions, and I don't want to leave—tonight—with you thinking I'm mad at you."

Derek is studying her. "You're talking like we're not going to see each other again."

Casey's gaze flits away from him. "Don't be absurd. Christmas is next month, remember?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No contact until then," she cuts in, and this time her voice is firm. "That's how it has to be."

Before Derek can argue further, there's a knock on the door. "It's time," George calls sternly, "Let's go."

And so Casey unlocks the door, taking particular care not to look back in Derek's direction. They all take the same elevator downstairs, with Edwin carrying her luggage and Lizzie carrying her purse. She walks in between her mom and George, just like Emily had told her to. Nora checks out for her in the lobby, telling the receptionist that Casey isn't feeling well at all and it would just be best for her to come home.

Then they're out the doors, with Casey huddled into her mother's side. It's raining, and George holds an umbrella above the three of them while Edwin and Lizzie race towards the car. Casey hears the others say their goodbyes to Derek, but she feels Nora tighten her arm around her shoulders, a warning that she should just continue to look as sick as possible. She's herded into the back of the car with Nora and Lizzie, while Edwin takes the front seat with George.

Then they're driving away. She hasn't seen any cameras flashing, but she knows photographers these days can stand dozens of feet away and still make the shot they want. Casey keeps her face hidden, curled up into the back seat. She doesn't cry, even though she feels like she's lost something.

Or someone.


	8. Christmas Eve

**A/N: thank you for all your reviews on the previous chapter! Again, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this quarantine. This chapter delves into the fallout from the previous chapter's events. Enjoy! **

* * *

"Hey," a voice whispers loudly, "You awake yet?"

Casey opens her eyes somewhat reluctantly. She'd been drifting in and out of a restless sleep the entire night. But this time when she opens her eyes, she sees sunlight streaming through the curtains. "What time is it?" she mumbles, her hand fumbling along the nightstand for her phone. She finds it a second later when it clatters to the ground.

"I got it," Marti says hastily, coming to stand in front of her. She peers at Casey curiously, "It's 2PM."

"_What?" _Casey scrambles up in bed, wiping the bleariness from her vision. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"The 'rents said we should give you a chance to rest," Marti sits at the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Casey doesn't answer for a moment, the events of yesterday reeling through her mind. "Fine," she says belatedly, realizing Marti was still waiting for an answer. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Marti says decidedly, spinning an iPad in her hands. "But I thought you might want to see something." She hands the tablet over, the screen already lit up. "It's the story that Emily's friend wrote. It's in the gossip section of today's paper, just like she promised."

Casey takes it automatically, her eyes scanning the story. Her eyebrows rise as she realizes it's much more than the short blurb she was expecting. "Wow," she scrolls through the story, which is two columns long and complete with four separate pictures.

"Yeah, she went all out, didn't she? Her editor must be a fan."

"I guess so," Casey murmurs in reply, skimming over the article. It starts out with a picture of Derek and Aimee at the premiere, with a few mentions of their 'upcoming' wedding and some discussion about the film, as well as previous ones he's directed.

Then there's the picture of all of them leaving the hotel.

Casey is huddled into her mother's side, and Derek is behind them, his head down and hands in his pockets. '_Family first' _the caption proclaims, while the story goes on to paint Derek as a saint, for leaving the premiere early when he heard his stepsister had fallen ill after the flight from New York.

The last couple pictures are of Derek and Aimee at their celebratory date night, just as Emily had ordered them to do. Casey doesn't read this part, even though she wants to. She feels Marti's watchful eyes on her as she hands back the tablet, trying to appear nonchalant. "Thanks for bringing that by," she clears her throat, "It's a good story. I'll have to call Emily to thank her."

Marti looks at her thoughtfully. After a minute she agrees, "Yeah, it was a good _story._"

"Don't," Casey warns.

"Ed and Lizzie told me what went down at the hotel," Marti muses, getting up from the bed and wandering aimlessly around the room. "Wish I had been there to see dad's face."

Casey groans, remembering just how angry George had been. "Wish I could forget."

Marti pauses near the door, her expression sobering. "Derek's always been kind of an idiot," she says, but warmth colors her tone. "But he's my brother, and I'll always have his back. Especially about this."

"What—"

"I've always known how he feels about you. I mean, you'd have to be intentionally obtuse to not see it."

Casey frowns.

"And that's what you all were," Marti goes on conversationally, "Obtuse."

"Is this some kind of pep talk? Because I gotta say…you're not very good at it."

Marti grins, squaring her shoulders. "It's my way of saying that no matter what the 'rents say, I got your back. I mean, it's you and Derek. Who would we be to stand in the way of that?"

There's a knock on the door, and they both turn to see Lizzie standing there. She smiles at them, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Hey sis, I was hoping you'd be awake."

"I was just showing her the article about Derek," Marti grabs the iPad off the bed. "Seen it yet?"

Lizzie nods, perching on the computer chair. "It's perfect. Exactly how we planned it." Then she hesitates, glancing over at Casey. "Marti, do you mind if I talk to Casey for a few minutes?"

"Depends, is this about the secret guy you've been dating?"

Lizzie's eyes widen, "How do you know about that?"

"There's no secrets in this house from _me_," Marti says, a little smugly. "But don't worry, I know how to keep my mouth shut." Then with a not entirely reassuring smile, she waltzes out, shutting the door behind her.

"Liz, you better be careful," Casey warns before her sister can say anything, "Mom will hit the roof if she finds out you're living with some random guy."

Lizzie looks briefly annoyed, "I didn't come here to talk about Steve." Then she presses her lips together, "Besides, I think your love life is a whole lot more messed up than mine is, currently."

Casey blinks, momentarily stunned. "Uh wow, okay. You know, Marti was actually supportive, I guess I assumed that you'd be the same."

Her sister scoffs. "Marti is only being _supportive_ because Derek is her _amazing _older brother who can do no wrong in her eyes."

Each word feels like a miniature jab, carving its way into her chest.

"So…" Casey's gaze flits away, "You think he's…that we're wrong."

"No," Lizzie snaps, "Don't put words in my mouth. You and Derek are like those stupid half heart necklaces."

"_W__hat?"_

"Oh you know," her sister waves her hands, looking exasperated. "Those two broken heart pieces that fit together?"

"You're calling us…broken?"

"Yes," Lizzie says simply. "When you two were separated, you were broken. It didn't take a genius to see it. Mom and George may have pretended to be oblivious to Derek falling apart without you, but we all saw it."

Casey's mouth turns down at the corners. Everyday was a new reminder of just how miserable they both had been the past ten years. All because they were too stubborn to do anything about it.

"And just because I didn't say anything to you," Lizzie goes on, "Doesn't mean I didn't see how his absence affected you too. I know New York was hard for you, to be all alone. I know you didn't want to fail at it. I know Dad wasn't there for you, like you thought he'd be."

Casey can feel her eyes filling with tears and she looks down. "Why are you saying all of this?"

"I didn't say you're wrong for each other," Lizzie says quietly, "But the way you've gone about this…the timing, the decisions…all of that was wrong."

"We didn't mean—"

"Yeah, that's what everybody says," her sister stands abruptly. "Edwin and I knew about Derek coming to visit you in New York. It was in quite a few gossip magazines. We worked overtime to hide them from Mom and George. You're welcome, by the way."

Casey gapes at her, speechless.

"That's how it's always been, me and Edwin having to protect you and Derek when you guys screw up. And yeah, we're your little brother and sister, of course we'll always have your back." Lizzie pauses and then scowls, "But do you have to make it so damn hard all the time?"

"I...I'm sorry?"

Lizzie sighs, sitting back down. "I want you guys to be happy," she says, "That's what we all want. But you can't make any more mistakes, okay?" Her eyes are beseeching, "Derek's always been the reckless one. But you have to be strong. You have to be the moral compass, like you always have been. Okay?"

"Okay, okay," Casey says hastily, because Lizzie's voice has started to go high pitched, like it does when she's _really _upset. "Don't worry, we learned our lesson yesterday. No more contact until the engagement is over, remember?"

"I remember," Lizzie mutters, "I just want to make sure you do, too."

"I do," Casey tries to smile, "I do."

...

The rest of the day flies by in a blur. Her mother and George surprisingly don't bring up the incident at the hotel, for which she is equal parts grateful and anxious. She feels like she's waiting for the other shoe to drop...any moment now.

Edwin and Lizzie both come by for dinner. Casey watches them, noticing the distance in their once close camaraderie. Their conversation seems to entail of mostly snippy comments, until either George or Nora intervenes tiredly. They all very carefully talk of everything except Derek.

Casey tries at one point to talk to Lizzie about this _Steve _person again, but her sister uncharacteristically blows her off. "I get enough lecturing from Edwin, I don't need it from you, too."

"I'm just trying to look out for you," Casey tries to cajole, "We both are."

"No," Lizzie says forcefully, "You're trying to fix something that doesn't need fixing because you're a control freak. And Edwin isn't minding his own business, _as usual." _

"I am not a control freak!"

Lizzie gives her a look.

"Just because I like things done a certain way—" Casey hears herself and then stops, shaking her head. "Okay, forget that. This isn't about me. This is about you. And...and keeping you safe from predators."

Her sister flounces to the door in a huff. "Steven is _not _a predator and I'm not a child! Why don't you stop listening to Edwin and start listening to your own damn sister for once?" With that, she slams the door closed.

Edwin comes around the corner, his eyebrows stitched together in concern. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Yes, you did." She peers up at him, "What's going on with the two of you, anyway? She told me you guys worked together to hide what happened in New York from Mom and George, which I appreciate, by the way. But what happened between then and now? What's with all the hostility?"

"It's nothing new," he shrugs, but he's not quite meeting her eyes. "We put aside our differences to help you and Derek out, but she's been angry at me for months. Ever since I told her to kick out that stray she took in."

"His name is Steve, not—"

"Does it look like I care?"

Casey falls silent, because clearly he doesn't. She gets to her feet, "Well, I appreciate you looking out for her, even though she might hate you for it."

Edwin nods once, his expression inscrutable as he meets her gaze. Then he moves past her to the door, grabbing his jacket off the coat rack. He's not facing her when he says suddenly, "Derek doesn't do feelings, as I'm sure you know. He didn't want anyone to know he was struggling, but I saw it. So did Marti. I know he loves you, and I know he has for a long time."

Casey swallows, and her voice shakes because she's been trying to suppress how she feels after yesterday and now she just _can't_. "I love him too, Ed. I tried not to, and I..." Her voice breaks and she chokes back a sob.

Edwin turns around, looking slightly alarmed. "Don't do that," he comes forward and wraps her in an awkward hug, and she's again taken aback by how much he towers above her. "Don't cry," he mutters, "You know us Venturis don't do tears."

He sounds so much like Derek that she smiles in spite of herself. "Yeah," she whispers, "I know. I'm sorry."

Edwin disentangles himself, but then he places his hands on her shoulders and squints down at her. "I know what Marti and Lizzie said to you, and I'll say the same, even though it doesn't need to be said. I have your back, always. You and Derek." He squeezes her arm, "Just do things right from now on, yeah?"

"Of course," Casey promises for the umpteenth time, "I will."

...

The hour before Casey is supposed to leave for the airport, the house suspiciously clears of everyone except Nora.

"Honey, I was hoping to speak with you before you headed back," her mother sits next to her on the couch, looking uncomfortable.

Casey sighs, setting her phone down on the coffee table. _And the other shoe finally drops. _

"It's about Derek."

"Mom—"

"No, let me speak," Nora says, placing her hand over Casey's. "This isn't easy for me. I know you and Derek have always had a…_tenuous_…relationship. But I also knew you both always cared about each other, even if you didn't always show it."

Casey can't argue with that, so she doesn't.

"When you two weren't speaking with each other the past 10 years," Nora takes a deep breath, "Well that was really hard on all of us. The family. But we stayed out of it, as best we could. You and Derek were adults, you didn't need us to fix your problems. And I always had faith that you would—fix things, I mean."

"I know it was hard," Casey stares at a spot on the carpet, "And I'm sorry. But it was hard for me, too."

Nora hesitates, "Derek told us yesterday what it was like for him in college and all these years, without you in his life. I...I must admit I had no idea how much he was struggling. And George, you know, he loves all you guys and he cares, he really does...but he's not the most observant person in the room. And well, everything Derek said, it got me thinking..." Nora peers at her, "That perhaps I didn't know what my own daughter was going through, either."

Casey doesn't say anything for a long moment. "I can't blame you for that," she admits slowly, "Not when I did everything I could to pretend that everything was okay."

Nora's face falls, "I should have known. I'm your mother, it's my _job _to know these things."

"I didn't want anyone to know what it was like...maybe because I didn't really understand it, myself. Why I felt that way, and why I was so angry at Derek. Why I felt like he had...abandoned me." Casey recognizes she's rambling but she can't bring herself to stop. "Because it was my choice to leave, and...I don't know, I guess I didn't realize what I felt for him."

Her mother glances up at her then, "And what do you feel?"

Casey can feel her throat closing. Admitting it to her mom felt different from saying it to Edwin, or even to Derek. She suddenly felt like it was all too real, like once the words were out there, they couldn't be taken back. "I...I'm not sure."

Nora's expression tightens. "Well until you are, just...be careful."

"I will," she promises again, "I will."

...

The next few weeks pass without incident. She signs up for extra shifts, working herself to the bone to keep busy. Once or twice she notices Tinker looking at her in concern, but he doesn't press the issue.

Her father is overjoyed to learn that she plans on going home for Christmas, and he eagerly buys her a ticket without her even having to ask. Casey smiles politely and thanks him. There was a time that his actions would have hurt her, but she's past that now.

She had thought it would be hard to keep all her promises, but as it turns out, it's easier than she would have guessed. Derek doesn't contact her at all, and no one from the family dares mention his name. It's just like old times, except it stings just a bit more.

There are times that she finds herself scrolling through her contacts and staring at his name on her phone, without realizing what she's doing. When she _does _come to her senses, she considers deleting him from her phone. But every time she's about to hit the delete contact button, she can't bring herself to go through with it.

When she's not working, she watches the movies that he's directed. There are seven of them, and she watches them in order, noticing how his style has subtly changed over the years. She's glad he's a director and not an actor, so she doesn't have to actually see his face.

In moments of weakness, she googles him and Aimee, to see the latest paparazzi stunt they're pulling. There's not a day that goes by that they're not photographed together. She studies his face in the pictures, the easy carefree grin on his face, the way he and Aimee always seem to be having the absolute time of their lives. She knows it's all publicity for the movie. But that doesn't make her feel any better.

Christmas approaches, bringing with it storm after storm of horrendous weather. "My feet are frozen," Casey grumbles as she stomps into the break room on December 23rd. She shakes the wet snow out of her hair, "Ugh."

"What are you doing here?"

She whirls around in surprise to see Tinker at the coffee machine. He's dressed in an obnoxiously cheery Christmas sweater. The sight of it makes her want to gag. "I signed up for a night shift," she says, averting her eyes from the painful print. "You working tonight?"

He shakes his head, turning to pour the rest of his coffee down the sink. "I just got off." He clears his throat, "Say, I never got a chance to ask you..."

Casey shifts from foot to foot, annoyed. She knows what he wants to ask, can he just come out and say it already?

Tinker turns, catching the disgruntled look on her face. He mutters something under his breath and pulls on his coat. "Forget I said anything."

All of a sudden, she feels a flash of regret and she quickly sidesteps to the door to block his exit. "Things didn't go well last month back home," she blurts out, twisting her hands together. "As I'm sure you've guessed."

He stares at her for a moment then nods, "I'm sorry it wasn't what you expected."

"Yeah, well," she shrugs, "It's my own fault for having expectations."

"Never apologize for having expectations," Tinker quirks a grin at her, "You deserve to be happy, and to have someone meet those expectations with you."

Casey moves away from the door, feeling her cheeks heat. "Have a good Christmas," she says, looking away from him. "I'm flying out tomorrow morning after my shift."

"Yeah," he says slowly, "You too." He stops at the door to look back at her, "I hope things go better for you this time."

She smiles and nods, and pretends not to see the concern in his gaze.

Luckily the storm lets up overnight and her flight is able to take off on time the next day. Her father has bought her first class seats, which he claims is her Christmas gift. In return, she buys gets him tickets to a dance show she'd once performed at. He hadn't attended then, but perhaps he would make the effort now. He doesn't even recognize the name of the show, which tells her all she needs to know.

It's Christmas Eve when she lands at home. She'd told her mom that she'd be home Christmas morning because she hadn't been sure about her work schedule. Then of course her father had gone ahead and bought her tickets without asking, so she'd been forced to fly out on the 24th. She'd decided to keep the extra day a secret though, to surprise the others.

Her stomach churns with nerves when she gets out of the cab and looks up at the twinkling lights adorning her house. She'd been trying to put the thought of seeing Derek out of her mind, but now the thought is impossible to ignore.

She has her keys of course, but she rings the doorbell anyway. Her breath comes out in puffs of cold air as she stomps her boots together, trying to gain some feeling back into her toes.

"I'll get it," someone calls, their voice close to the door. "Are you expecting anyone?"

The door swings open and Casey's smile fades as stares at the blonde standing on her doorstep.

In _her _living room.

Aimee looks back at her, looking equally as shocked. Behind her, the rest of the family is gathered in the living room. The room goes silent. Casey looks past them to see Derek entering from the kitchen at that moment, carrying a plate of cookies. "Nora, these—" He stops dead on the threshold, and it would have been comical, except it wasn't.

"Casey?"

She strides in, because this is _her _house and she doesn't need Aimee to continue gawking at her. She smiles coldly, "Hello, Derek."


	9. Midnight

**A/N: I know it's been a while, hope everyone is staying safe during these times. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

* * *

There's silence as Casey steps into the living room, subtly brushing past Aimee. The cold air continues to wisp by her, until Nora belatedly stands and rushes towards her, arms held out. "Casey! We didn't think you were coming till tomorrow!"

"Surprise," Casey smiles—or at least tries to. The muscles in her face feel oddly strained. She takes particular care not to look in Derek's direction, though he's still standing in the periphery of her vision.

Nora pulls back from the hug to study her, concern flitting across her expression. "You look…" she trails off as a gust of wind billows past them. "Uh, Aimee, the door?"

"Oh!" Aimee jumps slightly, looking startled. "Right, of course." She backs into the door, shutting it with a loud thud.

There's a moment of brief silence, broken when Edwin hops to his feet, tripping on his way to Casey. "Hey sis," he wraps her in a quick one armed hug, "Welcome home! Can I get your bags?"

"Well, it's just the one—"

"Great!" He grabs the carry-on off the floor and then pulls the purse off her arm for good measure, ignoring her protests. "I'll take these upstairs for you, shall I?"

"But—"

"I'll help!" Marti nearly screeches, hurrying off the sofa. She gives Casey a quick hug too, and then attempts to wrestle the purse out of Edwin's hands. "I _said _I'll help!"

"But I don't _need_—ow! Okay fine, fine," Edwin grumbles and the two of them loudly clatter up the stairs, arguing the entire way.

"Wow," Casey says, looking over her shoulder bemusedly, "Who knew those two would turn out to be so…helpful?" She turns back to face the family and sees that Aimee has made her way across the room and is now sidled up to Derek's side, her arm around his waist. Derek, to his credit, still seems frozen in place.

George clears his throat and gets to his feet, smiling in a lost sort of way. "Casey, great to see you again." He awkwardly gives her a hug and shuffles backwards, "Uh, can I get your coat?"

"Um," Casey pulls her coat collar tighter with a hand, glancing nervously at Aimee's outfit. "N-no," she stammers, "I'm good."

George stares at her blankly.

"I- I mean I'm cold. It's cold, you know," she gestures vaguely behind her in the direction of the window, where they can hear the storm howling.

"Hot chocolate!"

Everyone jumps.

George chortles heartily, clapping her on the shoulder and causing her to stumble forward. Derek makes a sudden movement as though to catch her, but pulls his hand back just as suddenly. Casey doesn't miss the way Aimee's fingers are wrapped around his wrist.

"Yes, hot chocolate is just what you need," George prattles on, clearly ecstatic to have an excuse to leave the room. "I'll go to the kitchen and make some."

Nora mouths 'sorry' at Casey before calling over her shoulder, "Great! I'll come help you!"

Casey stares after her mother in disbelief. "Traitor," she mutters under her breath.

Aimee smiles at her innocently, "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"

"Ah, I said…" Casey casts a glance around the rapidly emptying living room. "Where's Lizzie?"

"Oh, your little sister, right? Edwin said something about…a dog, I think?" Aimee's face screws up in concentration and she gives Derek a little shake, "Isn't that right, honey?"

Derek blinks once, appearing to come out of his reverie. "Uh, dog, r-right. You know Lizzie, always a sucker for a lost cause." When Casey only frowns in response, he thrusts out the plate he's still holding. "Cookie?"

She looks down at the misshapen gingermen in disdain. "No. Thank you." Then she folds her hands together and smiles tightly at the couple in front of her, "So—"

"Hey, Casey," Edwin interrupts loudly from upstairs, "I got your stuff settled in, if you want to see."

Casey whips around, "_You went through my things?" _

"Well—"

"I'm _so _going to kill you," she growls, taking the stairs two at a time. She skids onto the landing and comes to a halt. Edwin and Marti are standing side by side, their expressions serious.

"We have to talk," Edwin says, nearly dragging her into her own room. "Come on."

"Okay," Casey snaps, wrenching her arm out of Edwin's grip and turning on the both of them. "Someone better tell me what the hell is going on here before—"

"Shh," Marti hisses, inching the door closed. "You know these walls are paper thin!"

Casey grits her teeth, "Start. Talking."

Edwin grumbles, "Well don't look at me. You were supposed to get here tomorrow, like Lizzie. If we'd known you were planning this little surprise, then we would've warned you!"

"That goes against the very definition of _surprise_, Edwin."

He merely shrugs in response, which only infuriates her more.

"And what is _she _even doing here? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there sure as hell isn't any paparazzi hanging out in our backyard." Casey stops pacing abruptly, "Er, right?"

"You wouldn't see them if they were," Marti mutters darkly. When Casey's eyes widen, Marti hastily goes on, "The movie is coming out in a few days, so the producer told them to step up their game. The plan was for them to be photographed together at the airport—which they were—and for Aimee to spend a couple days here with Derek. That's it."

"_A couple days?!" _

"Don't worry," Edwin cuts in, "They got here two days ago, Aimee is supposed to be leaving tonight so she can be home with her parents for Christmas."

"Two days ago," Casey repeats flatly. "And no one thought to tell me?"

"The 'rents thought it would be better if you didn't know," Marti says cheerfully, "And we all agreed."

Casey glares, "Well, that worked out perfectly, didn't it?"

"Like we said," Edwin repeats, "If you told us about the surprise—"

"_Shut up."_

"Hey guys," George's voice drifts up the stairs, "Hot chocolate's ready, what are you all doing up there?"

"Be down in a sec!" Marti yells back. Then she turns to look at Casey, "Dress to impress, sis. You saw what Aimee's wearing out there."

Edwin squints at her, "And some makeup too, you're looking a little rough."

Casey's mouth drops open and he narrowly misses the pillow she throws at his head as he rushes out. "Jerks," she mutters under her breath, shrugging out of her jacket and tossing it onto her bed. Then she stomps over to her mirror and gives herself a cursory onceover.

She winces a little as a pale face stares back at her. The oversized yoga shirt hangs loosely around her frame, and her hair lands in straggly wisps around her shoulders.

"Alright," Casey sighs, grabbing a towel out of her suitcase. "Maybe those two idiots had a point after all."

.

A half hour later, Casey stands freshly showered at the top of the stairs. She's wearing black tights with a red and green plaid miniskirt paired with a cashmere white sweater—a gift from her father's new wife. It's her size, but it's looser than she expected it to be. Certainly not as tight and form fitting as Aimee's red sweater. She scowls at the thoughts in her head and gives herself a shake. _This is stupid, it's not a competition. _She pastes a fake smile across her face and descends down the stairs.

Only Edwin, Marti, Nora, and George are sitting in the living room. A tray of hot chocolate is on the coffee table, 3 full mugs sitting on them. "Casey, there you are," Nora stands as she approaches. "You look…" Her smile falters a little as Casey gets closer, "Great."

"Thanks?" Casey takes one of the remaining mugs and takes a seat in Derek's conspicuously empty chair. "So…where's the happy couple? Off to the airport?"

Edwin and Marti exchange a look. So do George and Nora.

Casey stops with the mug halfway to her mouth and eyes them suspiciously, "What?"

"Well," Nora fiddles with a spoon, not quite meeting her gaze. "Aimee _was _supposed to leave tonight, but, ah…"

"She changed her mind," Marti cuts in, rolling her eyes in obvious annoyance. "Her and Derek went to the mall so she could do some last minute Christmas shopping."

"Wh-what?" Casey sputters, "She's _staying_?"

Her mother looks at her helplessly, "I'm sorry, Casey. I know this isn't what you expected."

Casey glances up briefly and closes her eyes against the varying pitying expressions staring back at her. She takes a deep breath, "Guys, it's fine. I'm a big girl. I can handle it, okay? Please stop looking at me like—like—"

"Casey's right," George announces loudly, "We're all adults, and we're going to treat the situation as such. While this is obviously not ideal, I say we make the best of it." He grabs the remote, "Christmas movie, anyone?"

Casey smiles in agreement and lets her mind drift as Marti and Edwin begin arguing over which movie to watch first. An hour into _Home Alone_, she gets up to make popcorn. She's waiting at the microwave when the back door opens, bringing with it a gust of wind.

Derek and Aimee walk in, their cheeks both red with cold. Derek stops when he sees her, but Aimee bounds forward, her hands full with shopping bags. "Oh man, that storm is getting crazy out there." She shakes the snow out of her wet hair, flashing Casey a smile. "Wow, don't you look festive," she gushes, "_Much _better than when you got here."

Casey blinks, unsure what to say in response to the compliment wrapped in an insult. Luckily Aimee doesn't' seem to be waiting for a reply. She kisses Derek on the cheek and grabs the bags she had set down, "I gotta go upstairs and wrap these! See you up there?"

Derek nods mutely.

As Casey turns to watch her go, the microwave pings loudly behind her and she jumps. She hurriedly grabs a large bowl out of the cabinet and begins pouring the popcorn out.

She's entirely aware Derek hasn't moved.

He still doesn't say a word as she tosses the empty popcorn bag into the trash and moves to leave the kitchen.

"I didn't think you'd be back here," he says suddenly.

Casey pauses, frowning.

"I mean, in the kitchen," Derek fumbles over his words. "I thought you'd be in the living room with the rest of the fam."

"Right," Casey hugs the bowl to her chest, waiting for him to say something—anything—else.

He doesn't.

"Well," she gestures to the living room, "Guess I'll get back in there. Have fun wrapping presents."

"Casey." His voice is hoarse, only slightly louder than a whisper.

She stops dead on the threshold, but doesn't turn around. "Please, don't."

He doesn't say anything else, and she marches forward to join the rest of the family. "Popcorn?" she asks brightly, handing the bowl over to Edwin. He glances at her and then over at Derek as he gives them a wave on his way up the stairs. Marti steadfastly ignores him, leading Casey to believe they must've had an argument before he'd left for the mall with Aimee.

A ping sounds across the room and Nora pulls out her phone, reading a text. "Huh, that's strange."

George answers her distractedly, "What's wrong?"

"It's a text from Lizzie," Nora frowns, "Says she's bringing a special guest over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. I wonder who that could be." She looks over at the three of them, eyebrows raised. "Kids? Any idea?"

Edwin is shaking his head, looking slightly ill.

Marti's eyes are wide, "Um, oh I just forgot, I have homework!" She leaps to her feet and nearly runs out of the room.

"Homework?" George scratches his head, "On Christmas?"

"I just remembered I have, uh, a work email I forgot to respond to," Edwin stammers, backing out of the room hastily. "Real urgent. I'll be right back."

"_A work email?_" Nora looks after him with narrowed eyes, but he's already sprinted up the stairs. Her gaze turns to Casey, but she stuffs a handful of popcorn in her mouth, shrugging in response. Nora mutters under her breath, but turns her attention back to the movie.

Casey munches on the popcorn, feeling sweat bead on her forehead as she imagines the impending disaster coming the next day.

.

It's much later that night when she silently pads down the stairs, a bag swung over her shoulder. Dinner had been a mostly awkward affair, though Casey imagines it's nothing compared to what tomorrow's dinner with _Steve _will be like.

She stops in front of the large Christmas tree, smiling a little as she fingers a couple of the homemade ornaments. She sets the large bag down next to her and begins taking out presents to add to the pile.

She's nearly done when a voice drawls from behind her, "I never knew Santa was a brunette."

The present she's holding slips through her fingers, but a hand reaches out to catch it. Casey slowly turns to see Derek, standing inches behind her. He's wearing a smirk, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"I…didn't hear you," Casey says, taking a step back to put space between them. "What are you doing down here?"

Derek nods to the plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting on the windowsill. "Marti still puts those out, isn't that sweet?"

Casey eyes him in disbelief as he grabs the whole plate and begins munching on them. "Weren't you eating a plate of cookies when I got here?"

"It's Christmas," he says (or at least that's what she thinks he says through a mouthful of cookie crumbs).

She rolls her eyes, turning away from him to unload the last of the gifts from her bag.

"So, what did you get me?"

Casey can't quite believe he's acting like everything is normal, but she decides to go with it. "A postcard," she deadpans, "From New York. I found it at the 99 cent store on my way to the airport."

Derek half grins, shoving his hands into his pockets as he moves towards her. "Looks like you have me beat." He points at a half hidden gift under the tree, which appears to be wrapped in brown grocery bags. "That's 99 cents more than what I spent."

Casey stares down at the monstrosity, knowing fully well he isn't kidding. "The effort you put into wrapping that is…truly astounding."

His grin widens.

And the thing is, even though he's being an absolute imbecile, she still has stupid butterflies fluttering in her stomach as he nears her. Her breath catches when she feels a hand brush her wrist.

"Your heart," he whispers, and she looks down to realize he's lightly grasping her pulse point. She tries to pull her wrist back but his grip tightens. "You're nervous."

"Maybe it's beating fast because I'm angry, ever think of that?" This time when she pulls back, he lets her go. "You have a lot of nerve, Derek."

He's still standing too close, his gaze dark as it searches hers. "I didn't plan any of this, Casey, you have to believe me."

She shakes her head once, looking away from him. "Starting to sound like a broken record there, D."

Derek starts at the use of the nickname, and she presses her lips together, annoyed at herself for using it. He glances at her expression and sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "The producer sprung this on us just last week," he says, his voice lowering. "We—I—didn't have a choice. And I swear—she was supposed to be gone before you arrived."

"I know I got here a day early," Casey hisses back, "But that doesn't explain why she's suddenly staying for Christmas."

"I know, I know," Derek grasps both her arms and pulls her towards him. She's so startled by the movement that she doesn't stop him. And before she realizes what's happening, his forehead is resting against hers. "God, Case, what would you have me do?"

She doesn't move away, even though she knows she should. "An explanation would be nice."

Because he's standing so close, she hears his heartbeat quicken. "I think Aimee might be…a little jealous."

Casey pulls away abruptly to look at him in confusion, "Jealous? Of what?"

He stares back at her, looking equally as confused. "Of…you?"

Her eyes narrow, "But you guys are just a _contract engagement_. So tell me again, what is there to be jealous of?"

Derek groans, rubbing a hand across his face. "Come on, Case. Don't do this."

"_Do what?"_ Casey steps up to him, her eyes flashing. "Unless you were lying to me this whole time—"

"I wasn't lying," he refutes immediately, "I never lied about that. It was just part of the contract. For…for me."

She closes her eyes, dismay hitting her in the stomach as though she'd been punched. "So you made her fall in love with you. That's great, Derek. That's really, really great."

Silence descends between them. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"I didn't _make her _fall in love with me!"

"Just can't help yourself, can you? Even in high school, you always had to turn on that Venturi charm_, _just to prove you could!"

"You're being ridiculous," he snaps, "Everything I did with her was an act, you know that!"

"Yeah? Looked pretty real to me in all those photos!"

"_What?_ How would you even see those?" When she only shakes her head, his grip on her arm tightens. "Don't tell me you looked them up!"

"_Don't _change the subject!"

"Is that why you look—" He cuts himself off, breathing hard. His gaze is flickering across her, and she steps back, suddenly feeling exposed. "Casey," his expression has softened, but his voice is heavy. "Please don't tell me you worked yourself to death because of me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He pulls at the sleeve of her sweater, which is hanging off her arm. "You're skin and bones," he mutters, angling her chin up so that she's forced to meet his gaze. "And you look exhausted." Abruptly he looks angry, "I can't believe you—"

The upstairs landing light flips on. "Derek?" Aimee calls, "Where are you? Is everything okay?"

Derek's jaw clenches as he stares at Casey. "Yeah, everything's fine," he calls back, never once looking away from her. "I just came down to get some water."

There's a brief moment of silence while Casey hopes against hope that Aimee doesn't decide to come downstairs. "Alright," Aimee's voice floats down, "Come back to bed."

The light switches off.

Casey frowns, for the first time realizing she hasn't considered the sleeping arrangements of everyone staying at the house. She turns to look at Derek, who is determinedly not meeting her gaze.

"What did she mean, _come back to bed_? I thought you _weren't _sleeping together."

Derek is already shaking his head, "We're not."

"Not really what that sounded like."

He groans in exasperation, "Okay listen. You're in your old room. Marti is in her room, Lizzie's going to sleep in there tomorrow. Edwin is in my old room. The 'rents are downstairs in their room. The only room that was left was the guest room in the attic."

"How convenient."

"We're _not _sleeping together," he repeats, "You have to trust me."

"Don't," she pulls out of his reach, turning away from him. "Just go, Derek. Unless you want me to head upstairs first and risk running into your _fiancé _on the landing."

Derek's shoulders slump tiredly. "I'm sorry, Case, for all of it. This thing with Aimee, it'll all be over in a few days." Casey crosses her arms as he quickly moves towards her and brushes a kiss against her cheek. "I love _you_," he murmurs. Then he glances at the clock behind her and sighs. "Merry Christmas, Case."

After he disappears up the stairs, she turns around to look at the clock.

Midnight.

* * *

***_be sure to drop a review and let me know your thoughts! xo_**


	10. All This Time

**A/N: couldn't leave you guys hanging for too long ;) thanks for reading and be sure to review to let me know your thoughts!**

* * *

_All this time_  
_We always walked a very thin line_

_._

_._

Casey's eyes fly open the next morning and she's instantly wide awake. She glances out the window to see the dimmest of light filtering through. _Must be early. _She turns back to look at her nightstand and groans inwardly. 6:30AM. _Of course she'd wake up at the crack of dawn on a holiday._

She slides her feet into fluffy slippers by her bed and shuffles her way to the bathroom, shivering slightly at the chill in the air. She winces as the harsh fluorescent lights flicker on, highlighting the paleness of her skin and the dark circles under her eyes. She leans closer to the mirror, gingerly pulling at the puffiness around her eyes.

"Hate to break it to you, sis, but makeup's not going to fix that."

Casey nearly leaps out of her skin at the sound of Edwin's voice. She whirls around, hand across her pounding chest. "_What _are you doing!? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

He holds both hands up defensively, "Hey, you know there's no such thing as privacy in the McDonald-Venturi residence. Plus you didn't even close the door, that's practically an open invitation!"

She scowls at him, jabbing a finger in the direction of the door. "Out. _Now."_

"Just saying," he grumbles as she herds him out, "Geez, someone's bitchy in the morning. Ah, I mean—"

Casey grabs him by the collar of his shirt and hauls him back towards her, a dangerous glint in her eye. "_What did you just call me_?"

Edwin might've been taller than her, but he still blanches at her tone. "Nothing, nothing! I said I was _itchy_." He scratches his arm, laughing nervously. "Must've gotten some poison ivy or something, you know I should really get that checked out. See ya, Casey!" He backs away hurriedly, tripping over the hallway rug as he sprints back to his room.

Casey glares after him and slams the door before turning her attention back to the mirror. Edwin might be a nosy jerk, but he was also right. She'd barely gotten any sleep the previous night, and she had the dark circles to prove it.

After Derek had left last night, she'd quietly gone up the stairs and spent more than a few minutes hovering at the entrance to the attic (but she would of course staunchly deny that to anyone who asked). Unfortunately, it seemed like the renovated attic happened to be the sole area of the house _without _paper thin walls, much to her chagrin.

She'd reluctantly gone back to her room and proceeded to spend the majority of the night staring up at her ceiling, relieving every conversation she'd had with Derek since he'd come back into her life. She just didn't understand how and why everything had gotten so complicated. Sure, she hadn't expected a relationship with _Derek _of all people to be easy. Not when they were…the way that they were. But this…

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she quickly showers and pads back to her room. She then spends a good ten minutes ruffling through her dresser before she finds the Christmas pajamas her mother had bought them all several years ago. Nora had spent a lot of money on _matching _PJs for the entire family and had told them in no uncertain terms that they were to wear it every single Christmas for the rest of their lives.

Of course, there isn't yet a full family picture capturing the embarrassing evidence since she and Derek hadn't been under the same roof for Christmas in ten years. Swallowing down her usual stab of guilt, she pulls on the PJs—again, looser than she remembers them being—and eyes herself in the mirror.

She bites her lip and begins to reach for her concealer, but then lets her hand drop back down to her side. _Stop being silly_, she chides herself. So what if she looks like the walking dead? She certainly isn't going to attempt to make herself look _pretty _just for opening presents on Christmas morning _with her family_. How ridiculous.

But even as she convincingly talks herself out of it, she continues to study her reflection. And she hates it—hates that Derek is making her feel like the insecure girl she'd been in high school. The same way Truman had made her feel with his stupid _6 and a half. _Like she had something to prove.

Biting harder on her lip, she steels herself and bounds down the stairs, glancing at the clock in the living room. 7:30AM. Still too early for—she stops abruptly as the kitchen comes into sight.

Derek is sitting at the island, his face buried in a coffee mug. Nora is bustling around behind him, making breakfast. Casey is just wondering if anyone would notice if she silently turned back around, but then her mother happens to look up. "Oh thank God," Nora calls in obvious relief, "I knew you'd wake up early to help me cook breakfast. George had a _little _too much to drink last night, so he's nursing a bit of a hangover."

"That's Dad for you," Derek says, flipping over a newspaper he'd apparently been reading. "Never could handle his beer."

"Derek's right here," Casey points out as she enters the kitchen, "Can't he help?"

"Uh hello," he waves his coffee mug at her, "I made the coffee."

She glances past him to the Keurig machine sitting on the counter. "The coffee maker made the coffee, Derek."

"Semantics," he waves her off.

Casey snorts under her breath and moves to help her mom fry the bacon. "This is _such _a double standard. The _guy _sits at the table ready to be waited on, while the _women _have to serve him!"

"Oh give me a break," Derek whirls on his stool, his eyes alight with something familiar that's gone before she can identify it. "Don't bring that feminist propaganda into my house! _And on Christmas!" _

"It's not _your _house," she begins heatedly, but is cut off by a groan coming from the basement stairs. "George? Is that you?"

George stumbles into view, looking very sorry indeed in PJs that have clearly grown too small for him. He also looks a little green. Derek looks like he's going to start laughing, but at one look from Nora he quickly turns it into a hacking cough.

"I thought I heard your dulcet tones, Derek," George says moodily, "And, you, Casey."

"Sorry George," Casey shoots a glare at Derek. "We didn't mean to wake you up. Um, are you feeling better?"

"You know what they say, Dad," Derek crows, "Hair of the dog and all that. I can make you a Bloody Mary, what do ya say?"

"Derek," Nora warns.

"What? I was trying to be helpful just like Casey suggested."

"That's not what I—"

"Thought I heard arguing," Edwin bounds into view, looking suspiciously energetic given the fact that he'd been awake at the same time as Casey. "And I was confused until I remembered we had you two under the same roof again." He sends her a wink, "And then it all made sense again."

For some reason Casey flushes and she quickly turns away. "Coffee, Ed?"

"Yes, please."

She pours him a cup and slides it across the island to him. Derek raises an eyebrow in disbelief, "What happened to your whole _women shouldn't serve men _shtick from exactly 4 minutes ago?"

"That was more of an _I'm _not going to serve _you _shtick," she retaliates, while Edwin guffaws with laughter. Marti joins them at that moment and chatter fills the room as the others begin carrying dishes into the dining room.

Casey is so focused on flipping pancakes that she doesn't realize Derek hasn't responded to her jab—that is, until he purposefully brushes by her on his way to put his mug in the sink. "Sure you wouldn't like serving me?" His voice is low, his breath hot against the back of her neck. "Or would you prefer me to _serve you_?"

The innuendo is unmistakable and Casey sucks in a startled breath, feeling her face heat. "What are you doing?" she hisses, throwing a paranoid glance towards the rest of the family. Luckily they're still in the dining room and don't seem to notice Derek being _very inappropriate _mere feet away.

"Chillz, Case," his voice is his usual lazy drawl. He's standing much too close, basically pressed against her side as she finishes making the pancakes. He eyes her then, a slight frown marring his features. "You look terrible."

She grits her teeth together, "You already made that quite clear last night, but thanks for the reminder."

"No," his hand reaches out to touch her arm so that she's forced to turn towards him. "You look like you barely slept."

She's about to snap back a retort, when she realizes that up close he doesn't look much better off. She bites her lip again, feeling a sharp prick of pain as she does so. "I could say the same for you."

"The armchair up in the attic isn't the most comfortable," he replies offhandedly. Casey looks up at him in surprise, and he returns her gaze steadily. "I told you," his voice is quiet now and she has to strain to hear him. "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Hi Aimee," Edwin suddenly says loudly, his voice no doubt raised for their benefit. "Merry Christmas."

"Wow," Aimee's voice sounds thick with sleep. "You guys sure get started early around here, don't you?"

"The earlier we finish eating, the earlier we can open presents," Marti states in a tone that's bordering on rude. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

Casey's eyebrows raise and she glances at Derek out of the corner of her eye. He's moved a couple inches away so that he's not molded to her side anymore, but he also doesn't go join Aimee in the dining room. He doesn't open his mouth to defend her against Marti's comment either. There's a moment of silence as Casey realizes _no one _is reprimanding Marti. Her eyebrows raise even further, but she keeps her face down, making sure the last pancake doesn't burn.

"Oh, uh, no I'm up anyway," Aimee says, her voice faltering slightly. "Where's Der—oh there you are," she spots the two of them in the kitchen. "Derek, I didn't know you could cook!"

"He can't," Casey cuts in shortly, before Derek can speak. "He's just hanging out in the kitchen begging for scraps of food. Like a _dog_." Derek turns to look at her as she gives him a pointed smile and pushes past him, holding the plate of pancakes. She manages to get them to the dining table without anything going horribly wrong, and breathes a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed today was an ill-timed Klutzilla appearance.

"Got the last word in _and _she didn't drop the pancakes," Edwin grins, looking like he's enjoying himself immensely. "She's got you beat, D."

Casey glances at Derek's expression, which she can't read exactly except that he looks vaguely outraged. "The day's still young," he snaps, taking a detour around the table to shove past Casey before he throws himself into his seat. She hides her smile as she seats herself across from him.

Aimee looks, frankly, a tad confused as she's ushered into the seat next to Derek. "Are you two..." she gestures between them with a frown, "Always like this?"

"You mean the arguing?" Edwin asks gleefully, "24/7."

_"Shut it_, Ed."

"I see," Aimee replies, looking between them again. "I just thought...well, I don't know what I thought, I guess." She looks around the table then, seeming to finally notice everyone's attire. "Oh my god, you guys all have matching PJs! How cute!"

"I'd just like to say for the record that I'm only wearing these under pain of death," Derek comments idly, shooting a mock glare in Nora's direction.

Nora chuckles, "Now, Derek, I didn't say I'd kill you."

"Yes, you did," the entire table chimes in, except George (because he's still nursing his hangover) and Aimee (because she doesn't know better).

Nora rolls her eyes.

"Well, I think they're adorable," Aimee claps her hands together and then turns to kiss Derek's cheek. "You look so cute in them."

Derek quickly glances in Casey's direction, and she sees a flush stain his cheeks. "Alright, enough of the chit chat, can we eat or what?"

"Yes, let's eat," George agrees quickly. "Say, Nora, what time is Lizzie getting here?"

"Not until—"

There's a knock on the door at that moment. Before anyone can get up, the lock turns and Lizzie walks in, her face scrunched against the cold. "Oh hey guys," she says brightly, "Did I miss breakfast?"

.

An hour later, Casey watches curiously as Lizzie and Edwin load the dishwasher. They don't speak to each other, though that seems to be mainly on Lizzie's part. Edwin looks downcast, but doesn't say anything either.

Deciding she can't watch this any longer, Casey saunters into the kitchen casually, "Do you guys need any help?"

"We got it," Lizzie reassures her with a smile, "Besides, you helped Mom cook, it's the least we can do." She turns around then, studying Casey more closely. "How are you..." she hesitates, glancing into the living room to where the rest of the family is sitting. "Er, I mean, are you doing okay? With...everything?"

Casey follows her line of sight to where Derek is sitting on his chair. Aimee is perched on the armrest next to him, even though there appears to be plenty of room on the couch. "I'm fine," she replies, sharper than she'd intended. This causes Edwin and Lizzie to exchange a look, perhaps marking the first time they've made direct eye contact with each other since Lizzie arrived.

"Well I certainly didn't know she would be joining us," Lizzie sniffs, "I guess I'm not kept in the loop these days."

Edwin's grip tightens on the towel he's holding. "In case you _forgot_, you told me not to call anymore."

"That's because you were rude to Steve every single time he answered the phone!"

"Speaking of which," Casey quickly interrupts, "Did you really invite him for dinner?"

"Yes," Lizzie responds primly, "And I don't want to hear a word about it from_ anyone_." Her eyes flash dangerously, "Got it?"

Edwin mutters something under his breath and abruptly storms out of the room. Casey sighs and turns towards her sister. "I already told you my thoughts on this whole thing the last time I was here, so I won't repeat myself. Just be careful, okay? Mom and George might not be...thrilled."

"Well, it's not their decision."

"No," Casey responds slowly, "I suppose not."

"I've supported you with this whole Derek thing, and I always will. Because I'm your sister and that's what sisters do." Lizzie looks up at her beseechingly, "I just want you to support me, too. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"Liz..."

"Guys!" Marti calls out impatiently, "Hello? Presents?"

"Coming," Lizzie calls back, looking disappointed as she turns away from Casey and heads into the living room.

Casey gnaws on her lower lip as she follows behind her sister. She slouches down at the corner of the couch, her mind drifting. She has no idea when she'd become so out of touch with her siblings' lives. Her little sister had always been the practical and level headed one, and now she was acting like a completely different person. Not to mention her falling out with Edwin—it all just felt _wrong_.

"Yo, earth to Spacey?" Casey blinks, startled. She focuses on Derek, whose humor vanishes abruptly. She watches as his gaze drops to her lips and he frowns, "You're bleeding."

Casey touches a finger to her bottom lip, which has been throbbing with pain for some time now. "It's nothing," she murmurs, staring down at the drop of blood in detachment. "Don't worry about it." She looks around the room, surprised to see so many open presents. _How long had she been out of it? _

Aimee reaches over and thrusts a large silver box into her face. "I hope you like it! It's from me and Derek!"

"Er no, it's just from Aimee. _I _of course only bought presents for the people here I actually like."

Aimee slaps him on the arm, "Derek! Be nice! It's Christmas!"

He shrugs, unbothered.

Casey glances towards the tree, confused. The box wrapped in brown grocery bags is no longer there, leading her to have a momentary disorienting thought that she'd imagined their whole conversation the previous night.

_Maybe she was actually losing it. _

She doesn't know what expression is on her face, but suddenly Derek reaches over and grabs the box out of her hands. "Too slow," he grumbles, beginning to rip the ribbons off. "We don't got all day, Space Case."

And to an outsider, maybe it sounds like Derek being his usual obnoxious self. The choice of words is certainly right, all the way down to the teasing high school nickname. But anyone who knows him even remotely can sense it's all wrong. His tone is too forced, the words too measured. He's trying too hard to make it seem like old times, and the fakeness of it is jarring.

Then Casey looks up at him and sees his expression is off too. He's studying her too closely, his eyes dark with...concern. She pinpoints the emotion one second before he blinks it away.

She reaches out for the present, realizing she needs to _pretend_. That for some reason, he _want_s her to pretend. "Give it back, Derek!" He pulls it slightly out of her reach, but not very far. She grabs it from him with a huff. "Can't even stop being a jerk on Christmas?"

"Actually, it's Derekus," he corrects.

Aimee laughs, "What's that? You named a holiday after yourself?"

"It's a long story," Marti cuts in flatly. "Derek can tell you about it later."

Casey hurriedly opens the box before things get any more awkward than they already are. "Oh...wow...this is...really..." She pulls out a large pair of winter slippers shaped like reindeer heads. There's a red nose on the front and jingly bells hanging around the top. "Something," she finishes weakly.

"Squeeze the nose," Aimee says excitedly, "It glows red in the dark."

"Wow," Casey repeats, mostly because she's not quite sure what else to say.

Aimee beams at her, "Derek said you'd love it."

Casey's smile feels frozen, "Oh, did he now?"

Derek throws a smirk in her direction.

George coughs, though it sounds more like he's hiding a laugh. "Well I think that's everything...or wait, Casey what did you get Derek? Let me guess, keeping up with the usual tradition of nothing?"

Casey absentmindedly tugs on her hair, still trying to remember if last night's conversation with Derek was real or not. "Yeah, come on Case," Derek says casually at that moment, "Not even something from the dollar store?"

She nearly breathes a sigh of relief. _It was real. She wasn't going crazy. _She looks up to see Derek watching her, his expression troubled. "Actually, I did get him something," she hops up from the sofa and goes over to the cabinet next to the tree, where she'd hidden Derek's present. "Here you go," she hands him the gift bag with a bright smile.

He takes it from her suspiciously. "You left the $1 tag on the gift bag."

She continues to smile at him sweetly, "I know."

Derek snorts under his breath, but she can tell he's curious. He pulls out the folder inside, which has the statue of liberty on the front and 'I love NY' scrawled across the back. He opens it with a frown, looking down at the papers inside. "I think they sold you a used folder," he remarks, shutting it and handing it back to her. "It has someone's homework in it. Not that I'd expect much else from the dollar store, but—"

"It's not used," she says, not taking it from him. "And it's not someone's homework."

He stares at her for a second before slowly reopening it. Then he pulls out the stack of papers, scanning the top page quickly. "Wait, this is your handwriting..."

Aimee peers at him in confusion, "How do you know what her handwriting looks like?"

"From all the times he stole her diary," Edwin supplies.

"_Edwin," _Derek growls.

"_You DID read my diary?_" Casey leaps to her feet in outrage, "I knew it! You—"

"Casey, Derek, that's enough!"

"Wait," Derek is standing now, his brow furrowing as he reads the first page for real. "This is...you took _notes_...but that means..."

"Color coded and everything."

He meets her gaze then, and she can read every emotion warring in his eyes.

"Uh guys?" Edwin ventures, "Care to share?"

"It's," Derek's voice is hoarse and he coughs to clear it. "Notes. On all the movies I directed."

"Yes," Casey says cheerfully. "I watched all his movies over the past month and wrote down all the ways he could improve."

Nora audibly groans, "It's my own fault for wanting the entire family under one roof this year. What was I thinking?"

.

Casey is sitting in her room later that afternoon, looking over her patient charts when someone knocks on the door. Before she can answer, Derek strolls in. She stares as he shuts (and locks) the door behind him and takes a seat on her bed. "Yes, come in," she mutters sarcastically under her breath. "And _yes, _you may have a seat."

His mouth tips upwards, but it's not really a smile. That's when she realizes he's holding the folder. Her gaze quickly skitters away. "So," he starts forcefully, "You spent our month apart not only stalking me online, but also watching all my movies. And taking detailed notes on them."

She flinches, not expecting his harsh tone.

Derek moves off the bed then, coming to kneel before her. She looks down at him in surprise as he takes her hands within his. "Case," his voice is gravelly, and she can hear the pain he's trying to hide. "You weren't supposed to...I _never _wanted you to..."

"What?" she asks belligerently, "Didn't want me to..._pine _after you?"

He winces.

"That's too bad," she whispers, "Maybe you shouldn't have made me fall in love with you."

His head is bowed now, almost in her lap.

"I know we agreed on no contact," she goes on shakily, because now she's started and she can't seem to stop. "But it hurt, Derek. Seeing you...everyday, looking so carefree and happy...like—like you didn't even...like it didn't mean..."

Derek looks up then, and his expression is stormy. "_Don't_," he hisses, "Don't say it was _easy _for me or that you didn't mean anything to me." His grip on her hands is tight now, almost painful. "It _killed _me, Case. Having to pretend everyday, put on a show for the media...you have no idea." He lets go of her hands suddenly and slides down to the floor, resting his back against her bed. "I thought about you everyday, Case. And half of me is mad that you spent the past month doing this, but the other half of me..." He swallows, "It means a lot to me, that you watched all my movies. And the notes..." He grins a little, "It's so you that it hurts."

Casey slides off her chair and joins him on the floor, mimicking his position but keeping space between them. "I keep thinking there's something wrong with me," she admits quietly, "What does it say about me that I so thoroughly and completely fall apart without you?" She feels tears welling in her eyes, "That whole speech I gave you this morning about feminism, and all I could think about afterwards is what a hypocrite I am."

Derek's eyes are closed, "You're not a hypocrite."

"But I am! My _happiness _depends on a guy! My whole _sense of being _depends on a guy! I can barely function without you, it's not normal!" She hears herself becoming hysterical and takes a deep breath, counting to ten in her head.

"Trying Paul's stress relieving technique again?"

She glances at him, smiling slightly as the memory of their high school reunion floats in her mind's eye. "I had fun that night, Derek." Her smile falters, "I wish we could have stayed like that forever."

Derek turns around and reaches under her bed then, pulling out a familiar looking gift. "I hid this under here this morning while you were showering," he explains. "I didn't want the others to ask questions."

Casey gapes at him in disbelief. "_De-rek!_ You had me questioning if I had _imagined _our whole conversation last night! I thought I was going crazy!"

"Sorry," he says with a grin, nudging her with his elbow, "Come on, open it."

She glares at him once more for good measure before ripping away the brown grocery bags. There's a small cardboard box inside and she flips open the top curiously.

Then she laughs.

And keeps laughing.

In fact, she can't remember the last time she's laughed like this, but it feels good. And for the first time in a while she feels...happy.

"Allow me, Cinderella," Derek says with a flourish, reaching into the box and pulling out _the _silver heel.

The one that had fallen off her foot during the reunion and tumbled all the way down to the school basement.

The one Derek had clearly gone back to get and kept this entire time.

He slides the shoe onto her foot carefully. "Look at that," he whispers, "A perfect fit, princess."

Casey feels her heart swell and hastily blinks back tears. "Derek." Before she realizes what she's doing, she's grasping his shirt, pulling him towards her so they both fall to the ground. And she can't help thinking about the way his body feels against hers as their lips align—a _perfect fit. _


	11. That was Then, This is Now

**A/N: and here we are at the final chapter! enjoy!**

* * *

_You never gave a warning sign /  
I gave so many signs_

_._

_._

Derek is staring down at her, his gaze darting between her eyes and mouth. "Case…" his breath hits her lips and she feels a shiver go down her spine—and since he's still lying on top of her, she's sure he feels it, too.

When his eyes darken, she knows he has.

"We can't," she murmurs.

Derek groans, burying his head into her neck. After a second he mumbles, "I know." Then he rolls off her and leaps to his feet with surprising agility. "C'mon," he sighs, reaching down to help her up.

She lets him pull her to her feet, but she's frowning as she remembers. "Don't think I forgot about the diary comment."

He looks momentarily caught off guard. "Edwin was just—"

"Which diary was it?"

"Wh-what?"

Her eyes narrow, "Which diary was it?"

"Your…dream diary," Derek answers hastily, "That was the only one you, er, kept in the house."

It's the right answer, but she can suddenly feel it's not the _true _answer. "That's correct," she responds slowly, "But I thought you Venturis weren't _interested _in dreams."

Derek only stares at her, but he looks vaguely panicked now.

She stares back at him, hands on her hips. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asks warily.

"Get into my bank vault."

"I...what? Bank vault? What bank vault?"

She advances on him threateningly, "_Derek." _

"Alright, alright," he cracks, hands raised. "It was after—after you left. The first winter break, when you didn't come home. I was—I don't know, okay? Pissed, I guess. And…" He swallows, "Hurt. You...it hurt, that you didn't…" He shakes his head quickly, "This is why I didn't want to get into this."

"So instead of…_calling me_…you decided to…read my diary?" Casey screws up her face as she tries to understand what he was thinking. "I don't get it."

"I just—" Derek's voice raises suddenly and he stops, visibly composing himself. "I just wanted to know if—if there was anything…if you _ever_…"

She watches in confusion as heat creeps up his neck and his cheeks flush. "If I ever _what?" _

He audibly groans, "Don't make me say it."

"Say what? Derek, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"God, you really are a Space Case."

"_Excuse me?"_

He explodes then, "I wanted to see if you WROTE ABOUT ME, OKAY?"

Casey stops short, blinking rapidly. "Wh-what?"

"If you had ever felt—anything—if you ever felt for me what I—"

She fills in the words he can't say. _Ever felt for me what I felt for you. _The rush of emotions leaves her dizzy and she falls back into her seat, stunned. "Derek, I—"

"There was nothing there, of course."

He doesn't sound particularly accusatory, but his tone is _so _casually offhand that it can only be an act. Casey closes her eyes, wishing she hadn't asked. "That was a total invasion of privacy, Derek. I never thought you would…"

"Stoop that low, yeah I know," Derek has the sense to sound contrite. "Edwin kept trying to talk me out of it. I tried to make it seem like some huge prank, but he knew better. I think that's when he realized how much…" His voice goes hoarse, "How much you meant to me."

Casey reluctantly gets to her feet and makes her way over to Derek. It doesn't miss her notice that he's watching her every move. "First," she says sternly, with more anger than she actually feels, "Never do anything like that again. If we're going to be in a relationship—a real one—I need to be able to trust you."

"It was a one off," Derek says quickly, looking away from her. "And I've felt shitty about it ever since."

He looks so miserable that she believes him. "Okay," she continues, now softening her tone. "Second, that diary was _high school _Casey. You remember her, don't you? The one whose life you made miserable?"

"I was—"

"Trying to get my attention," she finishes wryly, "Yes I know that _now_." She pauses, closing her eyes as she tries to remember that time in her life. "I cared about you, Derek. You grew to mean a lot to me, especially towards graduation and—and that summer, before…" She swallows the rest of her sentence, because they don't need to rehash _those _details again. "I'm sorry. That you didn't find what you were looking for in those pages. But _that _Casey hadn't experienced what _this _Casey has."

"I know."

"_This _Casey is the one who realized she was in love with you," Casey goes on quietly, stepping closer to him. "And you'll never see it, but I got a new diary in New York—also in a bank vault, obviously—and one day when I decide to publish my memoirs, maybe you'll get to read the whole story about…" Her voice catches as she chokes back tears, "About how I fell apart without you."

Then Derek's there, gathering her in his arms and murmuring her name over and over again as he buries his face into her hair. "Case," he breathes, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," she feels her sobs subside as she relaxes in Derek's arms. "Me too."

He pulls back a little, his gaze searching hers. And then he's leaning forward, and she finds her eyes closing despite her earlier protests and—

"Guys, family picture! Get down here!"

They spring apart immediately. Derek shakes his head, looking equal parts frustrated and annoyed. "Impeccable timing, Nora."

Casey throws him a look and pulls open the door. Edwin comes out of his room at that moment and he gives them an appraising glance, but wisely chooses not to comment.

The three of them stop midway through the staircase, however, when they see what's waiting for them in the living room.

Nora, George, Lizzie, and Marti are all standing around Aimee…who is somehow wearing the exact same PJs they are.

"Uh…" Edwin clears his throat, "What…" He trails off and looks at Lizzie, who shrugs helplessly back at him.

Casey, however, can only stare at her mother in abject betrayal. Where else could Aimee have gotten these PJs, if not for her _own mother_?

Derek slowly descends the remaining stairs, wearing a vague confused expression. "Aims, what's with the wardrobe change?"

"Well Nora said you guys didn't have a family picture of everyone wearing these because of that whole falling out you and Casey had, so I figured today was the perfect day to finally get that picture taken," Aimee babbles happily.

"Yes, but…" Derek eyes her, "Where did you get that?"

"Oh Nora had an extra pair, isn't that lucky?"

"Okay that's it," Marti cuts in loudly, "If no one else is going to say it, then I will. Aimee, you're NOT—"

"What Marti means is—"

"What my daughter is trying to say is—"

Derek suddenly bellows, "Everyone shut it!"

The room quiets in surprise and heads swivel to look at Derek, who looks very much like he's trying not to lose his shit. "Okay Aimee," he says carefully, "The thing is, this is a _family _photo and…you're not. Family, that is."

"Right," Aimee agrees with a wink, "Well, not yet."

"Not yet?" Derek echoes, "What…"

"Uh hello," Aimee raises her hand, flashing the ring on her finger. "Did you forget we're engaged?"

"No," he replies slowly, staring at her hard. "But don't you think…this is a little much?"

Aimee's expression flickers. "It's just a picture, sweetheart."

Derek's hands clench at his sides at her response. "There's no cameras watching, _sweetheart_."

"I think I heard the phone—"

"Was that a knock at the back door? I should—"

"Yes, let me help—"

"Nobody move!"

Everyone who's trying to make their getaway from the impending trainwreck in the living room freezes at Derek's tone.

"Honey," Nora wheedles, "This really sounds like it should be a private conversation."

"No," Derek says shortly. "Everyone stays."

Casey's still standing halfway up the stairs, tightly gripping the banister. She doesn't _want _to watch what's happening, but she can't bring herself to look away.

Aimee, for some odd reason, doesn't seem to recognize the tension in the room. "Alright, Derek," she sighs, "I guess it's time to come out with the truth. In fact, I'm glad your family is here to hear me say this."

"You…are?"

"Yes," she says firmly, and then walks forward and takes ahold of hands. "The thing is, I don't want this to end."

"_What?" _

"I know our contract is up in a few days when the movie premieres," she goes on earnestly, "And so be it, forget the contract. But _this_—you and me—I don't want it to end. Being engaged to you has been the most fun I've had in a long time, and talking about our summer wedding—even though it wasn't real at the time—it made me realize how much I _want _that for us."

"Oh boy," Nora mutters under her breath. George merely gapes. Edwin and Lizzie are staring at each other, eyes wide. Marti looks disgusted. Casey—who had half been expecting something like this—can only stare at Derek, who looks awfully pale.

"What," he repeats weakly. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"But…"

"And I want to apologize," Aimee adds, "For all that shit I gave you about visiting Casey and leaving the festival to take care of her when she was sick. I _totally _had the wrong idea about you two." She laughs a little, "Can you believe I was _jealous_?" She turns then to catch Casey's eye, "But then I came here and saw how the two of you _fight constantly_ and realized how wrong I was." She smiles sincerely, "I'm really sorry."

"It's like seeing a car crash," Edwin says in wonderment, "Repeatedly."

"And no matter how much you want to walk away," Lizzie says faintly.

"You can't," Marti finishes, now looking a little green.

Silence descends upon the room.

Derek's mouth opens and closes silently. Then his gaze roams over to Casey and his expression hardens. He looks back at Aimee, squaring his shoulders. "No."

"…No?"

"That's correct."

"No…what?"

"No to all of it," he gestures with his hands, "To everything you just said."

Aimee looks flabbergasted. "What do you mean everything?"

"There is no _us_," Derek snaps, "We both signed the same contract, Aimee. I'm sorry if you thought…" He hesitates here and softens his tone considerably. "I'm sorry if you thought it was more than that."

"But Derek—"

He shakes his head once, "I signed a piece of paper and the new adult _responsible _Derek sticks to his word. But it doesn't go further than that." He pauses, "It _can't _go further than that."

Aimee looks a little desperate now, "We had fun, D. What's stopping you from trying?"

A muscle ticks in Derek's jaw. He very carefully doesn't look at anyone except Aimee. "I love someone else. I'm sorry."

Her mouth drops open as her gaze darts back and forth across his expression. "Oh my god, you do," she whispers, "I can tell." Her brow furrows, "But who is it? Someone from set? That's impossible, I never saw you even talk to another girl..."

"It's not anyone from set," he interrupts, "It's not anyone...new."

Aimee's shoulders deflate slightly. "The one who got away?"

'Yeah," Derek swallows, clearing his throat. "That's the one."

"You got her back."

It's not quite phrased as a question. Derek shifts uncomfortably, "Not in so many words, no. But I..." His gaze swings towards the ground, "There'll never be anyone else for me. Whether I have her or not."

Silence.

Casey hopes no one turns to look at her, because it feels like her face is on fire.

Aimee shuffles a foot back and forth across the carpet. "Wow, Venturi. I...only hope some guy feels about me someday, the way you feel about this girl."

Derek looks up and glances at Casey for a fleeting second, before nodding at Aimee with a brief smile. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

.

.

Within the hour, Aimee has packed up and cleared out of the house, claiming she has to meet her parents for Christmas dinner. She and Derek seem to part on fairly amicable terms.

Casey watches from her bedroom window as Aimee gets into a cab. The paparazzi come out of the woodwork and there's camera flashes coming from what appear to be the bushes across the street.

"Hey."

"Hey," she says back, not turning around. Derek joins her at the window even though the cab has taken off. "Is everything going to be okay with the press?"

"Sure," he replies easily, reaching up to close the blinds. "We'll get someone to write a puff piece on Aimee joining her parents for Christmas dinner. It'll be fine."

Casey turns to look at him thoughtfully. His gaze falls almost immediately to her lips and he takes a small step forward.

The doorbell rings.

He groans, "You've got to be kidding me. Who could that be?"

"Guys!" Lizzie's voice floats up the stairs, "Come meet Steve!"

Derek frowns, "Who's Steve?"

Casey chews her bottom lip nervously, "It's Lizzie's boyfriend."

"_Boyfriend_? Since when?"

She shrugs helplessly and hurries down the stairs, Derek at her heels. Edwin is already standing in the living room with the others. His expression is impassive. Neither Nora nor George look particularly impressed.

Casey studies the man by her little sister's side with a calculating gaze. He's on the shorter side, with curly hair and thick rimmed glasses. Lizzie helps him off with his coat and Casey sees he has a wiry build. He's wearing a forest green sweater and jeans that appear to have several paint splotches on them.

Steve looks up towards the stairs at that moment and meets her gaze. "Ah," he starts forward, reaching out to shake her hand. "You must be Marti."

"Casey," she corrects, shaking his hand and noting that his palm is sweaty. She surreptitiously tries to wipe her hand off on her pants.

"Oh," he looks surprised, "But you look so young." He leans forward, closer than she deems strictly appropriate for a stranger. "You must have one of those faces. Say what would you say to letting me paint you?"

"Huh?"

Derek has been standing behind her, but at these words he not so subtly steps in front of her. "Derek Venturi," he says in a hard tone, studying Steve through narrowed eyes. "Lizzie's _older _brother."

"Ah, right," Steve shakes his hand and barely hides a wince as Derek grips his hand. He then turns to Nora and George and hands them a bottle of wine. "Mr. and Mrs. Venturi, thank you so much for this invitation."

"Well," George starts, but stops when Lizzie throws a glare in his direction. "Well," he says again, making a show of examining the wine. "Let me go pour us some glasses, shall I?"

"Thanks Georgie," Nora says through gritted teeth as she turns back to look at Steve. "So! How long have you and Lizzie been dating?"

"Er," Steve glances at Lizzie, "About a..."

"Year," Lizzie finishes firmly. "A year."

Casey glances at Edwin in surprise, but he doesn't meet her gaze.

"A year!" Nora doesn't bother to hide her shock. "Lizzie?"

Lizzie holds her head up high, but doesn't reply. Nora then turns her attention to the other kids. "Edwin? Marti? Casey? _Did you know about this?" _

Edwin crosses his arms, "Define 'know'."

"I see," Nora's voice has gone suspiciously quiet. "Anything else I should know?"

Casey sends a glance in her sister's direction, wondering if she's going to come clean. Lizzie meets her gaze and turns to their mother. "Yes. We're living together."

There's a loud crash in the kitchen followed by the sound of glass breaking. "Everything's fine!" George yells, "Just fine!"

.

.

Dinner is, if possible, even more awkward than Aimee's speech and subsequent exit. Steve seems nice enough, but rather odd. Edwin flat out ignores him, while Derek shoots out questions at rapid fire pace, as though hoping to catch him off guard. Casey does her best to get to know him, but stops the attempts at conversation when Steve keeps trying to rope her into modeling for him.

"How about everyone go start a movie in the living room while I bring out dessert?" Nora says finally, seeming relieved to have dinner over with.

"I'll bring it out," Edwin offers, getting to his feet. "You spent all day cooking, after all."

"I'll help," Casey follows Edwin into the kitchen while the rest of the family filters into the living room. She smiles a little as Marti begins arguing with Derek over which movie to watch.

"Hey sis, mind if I take over?" Lizzie suddenly appears at her elbow. Edwin tenses and frantically meets Casey's gaze, clearly signaling her not to leave.

"Uh, sure," Casey says hesitantly, unable to ignore her sister. She gives Edwin an apologetic shrug and he glares at her as she edges out of the room. She stops at the corner of the kitchen, just out of sight. But not out of hearing range.

"Oh, so you're finally deigning to speak to me?" Edwin asks sharply, cutting into the pie with far more force than necessary.

Lizzie doesn't say anything for a moment. "What did you think of Steve?"

"_That's_ what you wanted to ask me? God, you're unbelievable."

"At least I'm making an effort!" she snaps back, "Which is more than you did!"

"That's rich," he snorts under his breath, "You're the one who cut me out of your life."

"Yeah, well, I'm here now."

Edwin pauses, looking at Lizzie with a frown. "What do you want from me?"

"I asked for your opinion."

"My opinion hasn't changed."

Lizzie's face falls.

Casey is just about to go back into the kitchen to intervene, when Edwin puts the pie plates down with a groan. He moves around the table so he's standing next to Lizzie instead of across from her. She looks startled when he towers over her. "Why does my opinion matter to you anyway?"

"Because," she sputters, "You're...you were..."

"Your _friend_?"

"Not just that you idiot," Lizzie says crossly, "You were my _best _friend, and..." Her face crumples, "And then you _weren't_."

Casey watches, ready for Edwin to bolt. To her extreme surprise, he gathers Lizzie in his arms. "Alright, alright," he's muttering, "You know we Venturis don't do tears."

"That's Derek," Lizzie says, her voice muffled.

"Yeah," Edwin says quietly, "I guess it is."

Casey studies them for another moment before silently backing away and joining the others in the living room. They come out with the dessert several minutes later. It's dark enough that no one pays either them any attention, but Casey can see the red rims around her sister's eyes.

Steve leaves a couple hours into the movie. Lizzie doesn't stop him. George opens his mouth the minute Steve is out the door, but Edwin places a hand on his arm. "Dad, not tonight. It's Christmas."

"Fine," George grumbles, "But _tomorrow. _Tomorrow we're going to have words."

.

.

Casey brushes her teeth and waits a healthy amount of time before she ventures out into the hallway. The lights are out under all the doors except Edwin's. She can hear faint voices coming from it but doesn't go closer to investigate.

Instead she slowly climbs up to the attic, her heart thumping nervously. Derek is standing by the window, hands in his pockets. It's almost like he's been waiting for her.

"Hey," he offers when she doesn't say anything.

"Hey," she says back, taking a few steps into the room. "Um...so was that goodbye with Aimee as awkward as it looked?"

He half grins, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. "Worse."

Casey steps closer to him, watching the rise and fall of his chest. When she speaks, her voice comes out breathy. "I guess you should stop making girls fall for you."

His eyes snap open and she's close enough now to see how they darken slightly. "I only ever wanted one."

"Yeah," she says softly, "I'm starting to see that." She takes a final step so her body is flush against his, her nose nuzzling against his. Derek takes a sudden breath, but before he can say anything, she's coaxing his mouth open and then he's kissing her desperately, his fingers digging into her waist and pulling her impossibly closer.

Casey's back hits the wall a moment later as he somehow turns them around and she lets her head fall back when he begins peppering kisses down her jaw. "Derek," she whispers, her fingers raking down the buttons on shirt. She wraps one leg around his waist and whimpers when he presses into her, the evidence of his arousal _very _clear. "H-here?" she manages to stammer out when his hands slip under her top. His mouth covers hers again and any objections she had to the idea disappears. Her fingers fumble with the drawstring on his pajama bottoms and she's just untied them when he abruptly pulls away.

"Wait—Case—" He's breathing hard, nearly bent over as he tries to catch his breath. "Just..."

Casey can only stare at him in confusion and slight annoyance. "Derek, you better have a damn good reason—"

"I got carried away," he manages to say, his chest still heaving. "Come on, you don't want to do this here, do you?"

"I _was_," she answers testily and he smirks a little in her direction. Then she sighs because she knows deep down he's right. The walls might not be paper thin up here, but the entire family is still just a staircase away. "Alright," she concedes, "But no more teasing."

Derek grins and grabs her hand as she passes him to get to the door. She gasps in surprise when she suddenly finds herself in his grasp, his mouth at her ear. "Trust me," he whispers, "When _this _happens, you'll know."

Casey shivers and when she pulls back he's still smirking, and it's _so _familiar that she feels something deep within her twist almost painfully. Before she can stop herself she's reaching up on her tiptoes and kissing him again. If he's caught off guard, he doesn't show it. His hands roam her back eagerly, the heat from his fingers radiating through her thin top and searing across her skin. She falls into him, and the sense of _fitting _is so overwhelming that she freezes momentarily.

"Case?" Derek pulls back and looks at her questioningly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she says slowly, aware of his hands at her hips, steadying her. "I guess I just realized..." He looks so concerned that she smiles, raising her fingers to stroke his cheek. "You're the guy for me, Derek Venturi. I only wish it didn't take me so long to realize it."

His expression relaxes, "And you're the one for me Casey McDonald. Always."

She tips her head up for another kiss, this one is soft and languid and she feels herself melting. "Come with me," she says, taking his hand. "I have something to show you."

He looks confused but obediently follows her back to her room. "You trying to seduce me again?"

She rolls her eyes as she rummages through her suitcase for the envelope. Her fingers tremble a little as she holds it out to him. "Your real Christmas gift."

Derek takes it questioningly, glancing at the front but she's purposely left it blank. "What is this?" he asks, his tone deceptively light. "Truman and Vicky's wedding invitation?"

Casey laughs at that, "No, but I did get one in the mail last month."

He quirks an eyebrow at her, "RSVP?"

"Nope," she replies cheerfully, "Threw it in the trash. I have no interest in going to Icky Vicky's wedding. Family or not."

Derek turns the envelope over in his hands, but still doesn't open it. "If you wanted...we could..." A devilish grin crosses his expression, "Go together."

Casey stares at him, "To the wedding?"

He shrugs and then smirks, "We'd be the talk of the whole shindig."

She ponders this for a moment and a smile spreads on her face, "I like the way you think, Venturi." Then her gaze snaps back to him and she realizes he's stalling. "Open the envelope, Derek. It doesn't bite, I promise."

He eyes her speculatively and pulls out the letter within. Casey watches in trepidation as he begins to read out loud, "Congratulations Ms. McDonald, we're pleased to welcome you..." He trails off and glances at her, his eyes wide. "What is this?"

Casey folds her hands together tightly. "Well, as you know, I finish my residency in a few months so I applied to jobs and...well, I got accepted. Right here."

"_Here?_"

"Well, it's like 30 minutes away but I missed home so much and, well _you_ obviously and—"

She doesn't get to finish the rest of her sentence because Derek has suddenly lifted her in a hug and is kissing her fiercely. "I'm so proud of you," he mumbles against her lips, "And have I mentioned I love you?"

She blinks back tears at the happiness in his expression. "I love you, too."

* * *

_***the end! I started this fic exactly a year ago so I thought it was fitting to end it here. LWD/dasey was my first fandom years ago and I'll always love them. If inspiration strikes sometime in the future, I will of course write them again. Thank you all for reading xoxo **_


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